The new year is upon us and we are looking forward to the rest of this school year and the school years to come. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about this school district over the last couple years and I see so much potential in the years to come! One thing that has been crystal clear to me from day one is how much pride there is for our schools. So many of our students come from families who have attended our schools for generations. Even those residents of our district without a personal connection to our schools still are connected through friends and relatives. That pride is one of this district’s greatest strengths and it will undoubtedly serve us well far into the future.
The residents of this district have been asked on three occasions over the last nine years to approve a referendum to provide additional operating funds to the school district. On all three occasions the community stepped up and said “YES!” in those votes. As I’ve discussed in past newsletters, in a perfect world, the state would provide the funding needed to operate our schools and we would not have to ask local voters to vote “YES!” on a referendum. In reality, however, the state provides less and less financial support every year. That is why districts like ours have to ask our community for help.
Earlier this year, we shared a survey to gather feedback from the community. Thank you so much to all who responded! The board looked over those results and spent many hours deliberating about the financial situation of the district and the desires of our community. After much discussion, they have decided to ask voters to approve a referendum on April 2, 2024. The ballot question will ask voters to approve $2.5 million per year for the next three years. The board is not asking for an amount that escalates each year, as was done in the past, but is simply asking for the same amount each year.
It is important to us as district leaders to ensure we are only asking for funding that we absolutely need. Before ever considering a referendum, our first step was to look internally to determine where we could avoid costs. Over the last couple years, we have reduced our teaching staff and eliminated several support staff positions, saving over $350,000 per year. We have implemented significant changes to our childcare program to ensure it is financially self-sufficient, saving about $85,000 per year. We have implemented new budgeting procedures, reduced outside contracts, and reduced insurance costs, saving over $250,000 per year. We have also sought out new funding sources, such as a federal grant that covers all costs for two counseling interns for each of the next five years, with a value of about $200,000 per year.
These are tremendous savings in a budget the size of our district’s! But unfortunately, we cannot continue to sustain the district on cuts alone. That is why our board came to the difficult decision to ask the voters to once again approve an operating referendum, providing our district with $2.5 million per year for the next three years. We greatly appreciate your consideration of this request.
If you have any questions or comments about any of this, or would like to schedule someone to come to a group or community meeting, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or my assistant, Deb Merwin, at 920-348-5548 x.278, or to any of our Board members.
Thank you for your support and unwavering pride in our school district! We couldn’t do it without you!
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