Thanks to the emailer for this reminder.
………don’t forget uniforms…..Marlys and Brenda will be bringing that subject up again at the meeting next week. My kids will be eating lunch as soon as they get to school, but HELL they will be fashionable. Will this stop Marlys from taking pictures????
Ugh!
Friday, February 20, 2009
More Middle-High School restructuring?
Thanks to the emailer for this tip. Just like all the plans of the Emperor, we find out piece by piece.
Does anyone have any other information?
Apparently, the middle/high school will be going to a six period day next year (as opposed to eight). I am curious to know if this program restructuring is happening for educational reasons, or out of necessity to accommodate two additional grades What does this mean for middle and high school students? Will course options be reduced as a result? Will students still have full-year English and Math, and other core classes. Something (1/4 of each days classes) is going to give. What? Not so long ago, we moved away from block scheduling. This appears to be a move in that direction again - what changed?
Does anyone have any other information?
Apparently, the middle/high school will be going to a six period day next year (as opposed to eight). I am curious to know if this program restructuring is happening for educational reasons, or out of necessity to accommodate two additional grades What does this mean for middle and high school students? Will course options be reduced as a result? Will students still have full-year English and Math, and other core classes. Something (1/4 of each days classes) is going to give. What? Not so long ago, we moved away from block scheduling. This appears to be a move in that direction again - what changed?
District surveys residents about cost-cutting measures
From the BCCT.
District surveys residents about cost-cutting measures
Posted in News on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm by Joan Hellyer
Bensalem residents can make suggestions about ways for the school district to save some money over the next few years in an online survey.
Everything except salaries and benefits is up for consideration, according to a letter from the district’s superintendent posted at www.bensalemsd.org.
“While we expect a slight reduction in the cost of goods and supplies, we do not anticipate a decline in the area representing most of our budget, salaries and benefits,” Bensalem Superintendent James Lombardo said in the letter. “Given that we are a business that relies primarily on the skills of people, we do not foresee large cost savings in most expenditure areas.”
The district’s 2009-10 projected budget is estimated at $114 million. Of that amount, about $74 million will go toward salaries and benefits, according to district officials.
The budget projects a $170 average property tax hike to help cover a $7 million revenue shortfall. The district also could use as much as $3 million from its savings account, known as the fund balance, to help cover the budget deficit. The fund balance has about $11 million in it, officials said.
Despite the revenue shortfall, Bensalem is not experiencing some of the “significant budgetary gaps” neighboring districts are grappling with because of “excellent planning” by district officials, Lombardo said in the letter.
However, given revenue trends and problems with the state’s reserves “we anticipate a much grimmer picture in the next two years,” the superintendent said.
Lombardo points to several financial issues as cause for concern including revenue declines from sales taxes and real estate and interim taxes.
In anticipation of the continuing economic downturn, district officials already have taken several cost-cutting steps, including an immediate freeze on non-essential travel or conference expenses not already approved and requests to staff to reduce paper consumption and energy usage, Lombardo said in the letter.
School board members recently suggested Lombardo survey the public after he told them he sent a similar letter to district staff about ways to save money.
The superintendent’s correspondence to the community includes a link to the cost-savings survey.
District officials will collect the community’s feedback for a few weeks and then forward it onto the school board for consideration, the superintendent said.
District surveys residents about cost-cutting measures
Posted in News on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm by Joan Hellyer
Bensalem residents can make suggestions about ways for the school district to save some money over the next few years in an online survey.
Everything except salaries and benefits is up for consideration, according to a letter from the district’s superintendent posted at www.bensalemsd.org.
“While we expect a slight reduction in the cost of goods and supplies, we do not anticipate a decline in the area representing most of our budget, salaries and benefits,” Bensalem Superintendent James Lombardo said in the letter. “Given that we are a business that relies primarily on the skills of people, we do not foresee large cost savings in most expenditure areas.”
The district’s 2009-10 projected budget is estimated at $114 million. Of that amount, about $74 million will go toward salaries and benefits, according to district officials.
The budget projects a $170 average property tax hike to help cover a $7 million revenue shortfall. The district also could use as much as $3 million from its savings account, known as the fund balance, to help cover the budget deficit. The fund balance has about $11 million in it, officials said.
Despite the revenue shortfall, Bensalem is not experiencing some of the “significant budgetary gaps” neighboring districts are grappling with because of “excellent planning” by district officials, Lombardo said in the letter.
However, given revenue trends and problems with the state’s reserves “we anticipate a much grimmer picture in the next two years,” the superintendent said.
Lombardo points to several financial issues as cause for concern including revenue declines from sales taxes and real estate and interim taxes.
In anticipation of the continuing economic downturn, district officials already have taken several cost-cutting steps, including an immediate freeze on non-essential travel or conference expenses not already approved and requests to staff to reduce paper consumption and energy usage, Lombardo said in the letter.
School board members recently suggested Lombardo survey the public after he told them he sent a similar letter to district staff about ways to save money.
The superintendent’s correspondence to the community includes a link to the cost-savings survey.
District officials will collect the community’s feedback for a few weeks and then forward it onto the school board for consideration, the superintendent said.
Dear Mr. Obama: Pay Up
Here's an idea from the Concord(NH) Monitor
District sets out to collect on fed pledge
School boards to send special ed invoice to D.C.
By Karen Langley, Monitor staff, February 16, 2009 - 6:51 am
What's a school district to do when federal mandates arrive without federal money? Send an invoice.
That's the response of local school boards disgruntled with the perpetual gap in special education funding.
At the suggestion of their superintendent, the school boards of Allenstown, Chichester, Deerfield and Epsom have decided to bill the U.S. Department of Education for nearly a quarter of their special education costs from the past five years. The Pembroke board will consider the move at its next meeting.
Board members' qualms stem from the pledge Congress made to fund 40 percent of costs when it mandated special education programming in 1975. Funding has varied since then but has never risen much above the current 17 percent level.
The Education Department is likely to receive similar invoices, because the American Association of School Administrators is encouraging members to draw attention to the funding shortfall by billing the government.
Superintendent Peter Warburton said the campaign should not raise questions about the dedication to special education at SAU 53. It's meant rather to draw attention to the additional burden on districts, he said.
"My concern is we are now saddled with such large special education bills that in small districts lots of our other programming is being jeopardized," he said.
The SAU finance office is compiling past expense reports for filing next month.
The idea of billing the federal government for special education costs originated in Barrington, not far from the SAU 53 schools, according to Mary Kusler, assistant director of advocacy and policy at the school administrators association.
The Barrington School District first sent the government a $605,271 bill for special education costs in the 2000-01 school year.
Mike Clark, then chairman of the school board, said members were tired of drawing fire for the tax raises their budgets incurred. Board members agreed to protest what they considered failure to pay money owed.
"We weren't naive enough to think they had just not thought of the idea and would sit down and write every school district in the nation a check," Clark said.
Invoices from Barrington later included back expenses and interest. (The district never received a check, though Sen. Judd Gregg did send a letter.)
Warburton said he hopes the campaigns of enough school districts will prompt the government to increase funding. At the Deerfield School Board, Donald Gorman calls it a "political gambit" but expects to see money. If the government doesn't pay, he wants to sue.
"They said they were going to pay for it," he said. "Put the money on the table, boys."
Dick Cohen, executive director of the Disability Rights Center in Concord, said a court would be unlikely to consider the funding pledge by Congress legally binding. He questioned the argument that special education costs are truly owed to the districts.
"Education has always been seen as a local and state responsibility," he said. "The fact the federal government is providing extra in our view is a bonus."
Superintendents throughout the area said yesterday they did not plan to mail bills but were disheartened by the funding shortfall.
Recent meetings of the Andover School District featured votes requesting that congressional delegates act to fully fund special education, said Superintendent Michael Martin.
"Special education is always a topic at budget time," he said. "I think it's fair to say we are disappointed that the 40 percent is not funded."
District sets out to collect on fed pledge
School boards to send special ed invoice to D.C.
By Karen Langley, Monitor staff, February 16, 2009 - 6:51 am
What's a school district to do when federal mandates arrive without federal money? Send an invoice.
That's the response of local school boards disgruntled with the perpetual gap in special education funding.At the suggestion of their superintendent, the school boards of Allenstown, Chichester, Deerfield and Epsom have decided to bill the U.S. Department of Education for nearly a quarter of their special education costs from the past five years. The Pembroke board will consider the move at its next meeting.
Board members' qualms stem from the pledge Congress made to fund 40 percent of costs when it mandated special education programming in 1975. Funding has varied since then but has never risen much above the current 17 percent level.
The Education Department is likely to receive similar invoices, because the American Association of School Administrators is encouraging members to draw attention to the funding shortfall by billing the government.
Superintendent Peter Warburton said the campaign should not raise questions about the dedication to special education at SAU 53. It's meant rather to draw attention to the additional burden on districts, he said.
"My concern is we are now saddled with such large special education bills that in small districts lots of our other programming is being jeopardized," he said.
The SAU finance office is compiling past expense reports for filing next month.
The idea of billing the federal government for special education costs originated in Barrington, not far from the SAU 53 schools, according to Mary Kusler, assistant director of advocacy and policy at the school administrators association.
The Barrington School District first sent the government a $605,271 bill for special education costs in the 2000-01 school year.
Mike Clark, then chairman of the school board, said members were tired of drawing fire for the tax raises their budgets incurred. Board members agreed to protest what they considered failure to pay money owed.
"We weren't naive enough to think they had just not thought of the idea and would sit down and write every school district in the nation a check," Clark said.
Invoices from Barrington later included back expenses and interest. (The district never received a check, though Sen. Judd Gregg did send a letter.)
Warburton said he hopes the campaigns of enough school districts will prompt the government to increase funding. At the Deerfield School Board, Donald Gorman calls it a "political gambit" but expects to see money. If the government doesn't pay, he wants to sue.
"They said they were going to pay for it," he said. "Put the money on the table, boys."
Dick Cohen, executive director of the Disability Rights Center in Concord, said a court would be unlikely to consider the funding pledge by Congress legally binding. He questioned the argument that special education costs are truly owed to the districts.
"Education has always been seen as a local and state responsibility," he said. "The fact the federal government is providing extra in our view is a bonus."
Superintendents throughout the area said yesterday they did not plan to mail bills but were disheartened by the funding shortfall.
Recent meetings of the Andover School District featured votes requesting that congressional delegates act to fully fund special education, said Superintendent Michael Martin.
"Special education is always a topic at budget time," he said. "I think it's fair to say we are disappointed that the 40 percent is not funded."
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