Thank you again for your support of our school levies which both passed in February. These levies are integral to providing the best possible education for children in our community, and they provide almost 20 percent of our operating budget which bridges the funding gap left behind by the state.
You’ve likely heard of budget challenges being experienced by school districts across the state. Just as our community is, school districts are also impacted by inflation and rising costs. We pay utilities, maintain our facilities, purchase supplies, materials and equipment. All of these things have gone up in cost. We also have contract obligations, so that we can provide competitive salaries and livable wages for our teachers and staff.
We work tirelessly to honor our community’s investment and to be good stewards of the funds provided to us. We also care deeply about retaining our teachers and staff, and try to make decisions that will have the least negative impact on teaching and learning.
Looking ahead, it is important to us that our staff, families, students and community weigh in on our district budget priorities. Your input will be helpful as we identify next steps. Please take a few minutes to answer the question, “As we plan for the next school year, what are the most important things we should consider in order to support all of our students?”
Additionally, we know school budgets are complicated and you likely have questions. We want to provide an opportunity for you to ask those questions. We will compile them and then share a message soon with these answers provided to the best of our ability.
Thank you for your continued partnership. We know it takes a commitment from our entire community to support our schools and we thank you in advance for providing your questions and feedback by March 15.