Tag Archives: Budget

Tough Times for Teachers

According to a Kitsap Sun article published yesterday, 17 education professionals in the Central Kitsap School District will receive their layoff notices today.

It’s a very sad and difficult time for our teachers, local school administrators, and school board officials, and especially for those individuals committed to the teaching profession who will soon find themselves unemployed.

As you pick up your kids from school today, give our teachers a word of thanks and encouragement. Write a note to Superintendent Greg Lynch and the members of our school board and let them know how much you appreciate all of their hard work through the challenges of the past several years leading up to these tough decisions.

And lastly, send off a few emails to our elected representatives in Olympia imploring them to support badly needed reforms to the way in which our State funds public education.

Thanks!

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CK School Budget Woes: “What Can We Do?”

Rich Jacobson

An article was posted earlier today by the Kitsap Sun Staff concerning tomorrow’s Central Kitsap School Board meeting where district officials and board members will discuss and act upon a resolution to make serious and significant teacher staffing cuts/layoffs.

The board will hold a study session on the matter beginning at 5 p.m., then act on a resolution to make the cuts during the regular board meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. The board meets at the district administrative offices in the Jenny Wright Building, 9210 Silverdale Way.

District officials have effectively avoided laying off teachers in recent years by being financially prudent and proactive. But despite this year’s especially big budget cuts, it’s clear that the district won’t be able to delay the inevitable. The district has to cut $3.4 million from its $115 million operating budget.

A number of people commented on the article, offering some of the typical ‘blame-shifting’ broad brush stroke criticisms, but offering little, if any, constructive ideas or actions for improving the situation.

It caused me to stop in the midst of my day and ponder,

“What can I do to make a difference?”

We look at these huge bureaucratic problems like budget shortfalls and think they’re just to big and massive for us to make any positive contribution/change.

I think of all the teachers who will soon be without a job – people who have dedicated themselves to one of the most time-honored professions – no longer using their passion and training to help educate our kids. Where will they go, what will they do?

And I think of our kids, forced into larger classroom sizes. Remaining teachers having to do more with less.

Maybe now would be a good time for those of us who are able, to volunteer in a classroom. We don’t have to be a rocket scientist, just a willing helper. Read a book, help a student with their homework, grade some papers.

And for those who can’t volunteer, a few letters or emails to our elected representatives with some choice words about Olympia’s need to reform the way it currently funds public education wouldn’t hurt.

One person may not be able to solve our budget woes, but we just might be able to make a positive impact in the life of a student or make a teacher’s job easier to manage!

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CKSD Hosts Public Meetings for Critical Budget Issues

Rich Jacobson

The Central Kitsap School District will be hosting four public meetings this month regarding development of its operating budget for next school year. Parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about the budget process and to provide feedback.

The following meetings are scheduled:

Thursday, March 18th
5:00 pm-6:00 pm and 6:30 pm-7:30 pm
Jenne-Wright Gymnasium
9210 Silverdale Way NW

Monday, March 22nd
6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Klahowya Secondary School Auditorium
7607 NW Newberry Hill Road

Tuesday, March 23rd
6:30 pm-7:30 pm
Olympic High School Forum
7070 Stampede Blvd. NW

Based upon initial state budget proposals, CKSD could be required to reduce up to up to $4.3 million from its $115 million budget. However, the District will not know the full extent of its budget shortfall until the final state budget is released.

SCHOOL FUNDING FACTS
In an era of increasing expectations, high accountability and federal requirements, further state cuts to K-12 education will have a devastating effect on student achievement.

For more information, GO HERE.

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State Budget May Force CKSD to Get Blood from a Turnip

Rich Jacobson

Prior to the vote on the recent CK Support School Levy, there was quite a stir of rather heated debate occurring here on the Kitsap Sun website regarding the respective merits of voting yea or nay.

Many of those commenting faulted WA State officials for not properly funding local public education. Still others placed the blame on district superintendents, staff, and school boards for not exercising prudent fiscal responsibility.

Well, if you weren’t aware, both the Senate and the House released their budget proposals last Tuesday, and next week, will negotiate a finalized budget. The negative impact that the extreme reductions proposed in this budget draft could have at the local level would be catastrophic.

Just in case you want to see what impact the proposed budget would have, please click here to view the School Funding Facts II, or click here to view the supporting documentation.

As our state legislators hash out the last minute details of the budget, the good folks down at Central Kitsap School District are continuing their efforts in developing CKSD budget options for school year 2010-11. Their proactive and fiscally conservative approach over the last several years has allowed them to anticipate and avoid the drastic large-scale layoffs faced last spring by other districts throughout the state and to keep cuts from impacting the classroom.

However, ultimately, the solvency of CKSD’s financial future rests with our elected legislators and the governor. Our district financial personnel have already made all the reductions they can without taking any severe measures. Unfortunately, our district has little additional financial resources available to effectively absorb the multi-million dollar reductions contained in the current budget proposals.

Anyone who is familiar with our Superintendent, Greg Lynch, Executive Director David McVicker, and the hard working members of our school board, knows how seriously they all take their responsibilities and stewardship of district finances. These are all people who genuinely care about the quality of education our kids receive, and seek to equip our teachers and school staff with all the resources necessary to maintain that result.

I am extremely grateful to the voters of Central Kitsap who approved the recent levy renewal. The current economic times are tough on all of us and it’s not easy to commit even more of our hard earned dollars to a cause that is supposed to be fully funded by State government.

Let’s hope that the folks in Olympia find some other way to cover the budget shortfalls than to further impede our school district’s ability to ensure educational excellence.

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