vision2020
Re: A question for FONS
Jack and John and other Visionaries:
I hesitated to stick my nose into your conversation, but I thought in the interest of providing information (at least as I have seen it) I'll pass along these thoughts.
First, many of the students at West Park are currently bussed to school. Certainly 200+ of them do NOT walk to school.
The board/district is currently working on what I consider to be phase one of the budget process--identifying a solution to the budget problem (and clearly defining the extent of that problem) as it appears right now (knowing that some or many numbers can and will change before final implementation-- which entail contingent plans as well as the "baseline" plan). It is clear that since 85% or more of district expenditures are for salaries and benefits (most of which cannot, by law and contract, be reduced) a substantial number of classroom (and administrative, and support personnel) positions will have to be closed. That will mean moving students. IF, for example, 12 classrooms are closed at one school, all the students from that school will have to be bussed to others. IF, for example instead, 3 classrooms are closed in each of 4 elementary schools, 12 classrooms of children still have to be bussed--and probably to more locations, and probably more students, because...
If we now have 1 teacher in each elementary for a special class we'll call basketweaving (to avoid using any real class as an example). If we lose on of the basketweaving positions next year, then 3 basketweaving teachers have to cover classes at 4 buildings. Any teacher who has to leave one building to get to another will lose an hour of instructional time that day. We have to fill that hour with someone else at a greater cost. Thus, we have to close not 12 classrooms, but maybe 13 or 14.
Hence, it is not the facilities issue or the desire to close a building that is driving the option of closing an elementary--it is the desire to do the best thing possible for the children of the district as a whole. If we have to make more staff cuts to keep 4 elementaries open than we do to keep 3 open, that might not be a good thing because class sizes might be even larger and more children might have to be bussed.
NO ONE that I have talked to on the board, the district office, building principals, teachers, parents, or community members wants to close any elementary school for '02-'03. It is NOT part of the facilities plan to do that. It was NOT part of the discussion for the current ('01-'02) budget, and I personally (that is speaking strictly for myself) think that even IF $2M of budget cuts dictate that an elementary be closed there will be a contingent plan to keep that same building open IF $xxx of additional revenue somehow becomes available.
Thanks for the continued input of FONS and other citizens and parents concerned about how best to address the operation of the district for the best interest of all the children--and at what level of funding the community wants or is willing to fund its schools.
Mike Curley
On 19 Dec 01, at 7:10, Jack Porter wrote:
Date forwarded: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 07:13:39 -0800 (PST)
Date sent: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 07:10:22 -0800
To: vision2020@moscow.com
From: Jack Porter <jporter@moscow.com>
Subject: Re: A question for FONS
Forwarded by: vision2020@moscow.com
John, those are worthy goals that need to be considered. I doubt that FONS will
present a whole budget plan, but we want to be part of the process. The whole
community (or at least, the minority of us who show up to vote in levy
elections) has a difficult task ahead in working out what we're willing to pay
for in school taxes. We in FONS believe the district was too quick in opting to
replace existing schools as part of its facilities plan, and now any proposal to
close schools for budgetary reasons needs to be viewed with skepticism.
Disruptions of students, faculty, programs, and neighborhoods are serious
issues, and the monetary savings may prove to be illusory. For example, closing
West Park would require busing for 200+ students who now walk to school, so that
cost needs to be included in a true comparison.
Jack Porter
At 01:08 PM 12/18/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>Is it the intention of FONS (Friends of Neighborhood Schools) to present to the
>Board of Trustees a budget plan that provides for maintaining the current use
>of four elementary schools, a junior high school, and a high school and provide
>for the preservation of these buildings while recognizing both the current
>limited resources available and the continuing decline in enrollment that will
>make for even more limited resources in the future?
>
>
>John Danahy
>jdanahy@turbonet.com
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