Keeping Track of it All

For those who are just coming into this or who can't get to the meetings I will try to provide a simple synopsis of where we are so far. I am by no mean infallible so if you see an error please let me know. These are in no particular order.

Issue	Background	Why this is a concern
Closing of an Elementary School	Currently there has neither been a selected school for closing nor has there been a final decision that a school will close. However, this has not been taken off of the table either.	Besides the obvious emotional ties parents, children, teachers and staff have to their schools. This is problematic for other reasons. If there are only two elementary schools, the remaining schools will increase in capacity by over 60% resulting in likely overcrowding, potential problems with emergency evacuation, reduction in opportunities such as all school assemblies, lengthy bus rides for up to 200 kids, redistricting, to name a few concerns
Bringing 5th Grade Back	Again, this is neither agreed upon or off the table.	The only apparent question is how this can save the district money. If the 5th graders move back, the district could move into the 5th grade wing and the district office could be rented. This is revenue as opposed to savings but we do not know what the true potential revenue is in renting this building.
A High Tax Levy	We do not know what they final tax levy will be because no final budget has been determined. If you heard 17% these are just speculations.	There are still questions as to how much is in the reserve and how this can be used to lower the tax levy. Also, the tax levy option need to be converted into real dollar amounts so that people understand how much more they would need to pay given different scenarios.
Cutting of teachers and teaching assistants.	Based on enrollment projections, the district is already making decisions to make considerable reductions in teaching staff.	Enrollment projections are highly flawed and are even then using the lower end of possible enrollments. This reduction means larger class size which is empirically proven to worsen student’s outcomes both in test scores and in feelings toward their education
Cutting of special education, life skills, ESL	The district is already making decisions to make considerable reductions in these areas.	Our district has a high percent of children who are certified with special needs. Cutting these positions will mean the district cannot fulfill their obligations to serve these children in any reasonable manner.
Consolidation of administration	The currently proposed budget includes only two reductions in administration, the Nurse Practitioner and one Assistant Principle. Our district is particularly top heavy still but we were informed that they felt they could make no more reductions.	If we are to make concessions given the restricted budget, they need to be made everywhere, including administration whose salaries are quite inflated. Instead of bearing a reasonable burden, the administration is selecting instead to make the schools take on the burden almost solely.