Dear Editor,
Editor’s note: This letter was originally scripted as a message to legislators.
As you get ready to go to work in Jan. I wanted to share the budget situation in our district. Due to the penalty phase being enacted, we calculated that we would need to cut $2.5 million to stay under the penalty phase. By restructuring our debt, we were able to “find” $1 million, leaving $1.5 million more to cut. We have cut numerous positions or parts of positions involving many people. Through an early separation offered to teachers, we have more than 10 staff members who are retiring or leaving our district. We also offered a $6,000 incentive to not take the school insurance, saving many dollars that way, as well. We have cut classroom teachers by condensing classrooms, cut paraprofessionals, and sadly our Latin program, 1 STEM teacher, 1.5 world language teachers, a small cut in art and music, and 1 1/2 central office positions.
As you can imagine, many parents and community members are angry about the arts and language cuts.
However, what is really concerning is that we received our ADM information and the number to stay under the penalty phase, and with these cuts, we achieved our goal. However, this past Friday, Dec. 6, we received more information showing a smaller ADM count and a lower penalty phase number. We may have to cut another $400,000 or more. How can this happen? How can numbers change like this?
We also hear that the penalty phase may be dropped. We have already accepted resignations from beloved teachers who took the early separation. We have told people that their position may not exist next year. Please, I urge you to act swiftly on these kinds of things. We have to vote for a budget by mid-January in order to warn it for March. Please do not flip-flop at the last minute so that we can put forward a budget that is best for everyone. What we have had to do now is ripping us apart.
If you have any hope or advice to offer, I’m willing to sit down with you and listen. I won’t even talk about the conditions of the high school/middle school. We don’t want to lose more teachers and families as our district grapples with the finances. It was devastating to get the information this past Friday, and I have no idea what we are going to cut and how it will affect our communities and children.
Sincerely,
Keri Bristow, Board Chair for MVSD
