 August 21, 2009
Dear Principals, Staff and Parents, At the regularly scheduled School Board meeting in Cantwell on August 20, the current budget was discussed. Board members are painfully aware of the student needs at each site, having heard from the principals at the meeting and hearing from the public informally and formally over the past several months. They are also aware of the financial responsibility they have to the students of Denali Borough School District; we cannot spend more than we have. Part of that equation is maintaining a fund balance in case of emergencies. These emergencies can come in the form of increases to health care, fuel, or anything else where costs rise unexpectedly, or when revenues decline unexpectedly. Last year was one of those times; we had significant increases to costs at the same time that we lost 150 students from our PEAK Correspondence program. We put half of our budget reserve of approximately $350,000 into last year's budget after losing those students last fall. We cut costs where possible and still had to use most of the rest of that reserve by June 2009, ending the year with a fund balance of $14,000. That needs to be replenished: •The Board directed me to ensure that we have $50,000 in our budget reserve immediately from current funds. The Board also, especially after this past year, knows the importance of building a budget with a safety net. In other words we should not build a budget that is balanced right to the penny. Consequently, •The Board directed me to ensure that our 2009-2010 budget now have $25,000 in the black built in. If surprises come, we do not want to touch our $50,000 fund balance or reserve (think of it as a savings account). After reviewing the budget, given the enrollment numbers we are hearing from each site (Anderson--35, TVS--165, and Cantwell--36) and subtracting all costs from all revenue, they realized that we will barely be able to do as directed above, even without replacing lost positions. Therefore: •The Board directed me to put a 30-day hiring freeze on new hires for any other positions other than for special education needs. The Board recognizes the need for additional hiring. It recognizes the need to avoid bankruptcy as well. The Board is loath to add hires it cannot sustain. One of the worst-case scenarios would be to hire additional staff we cannot afford and have to cut them during the year or at the end of the year. We have just gone through that trauma and do not want to repeat it. During the next 30 days, we will have a very solid understanding of where our enrollment is, our cost picture, and what money may be available to hire additional positions. Thanks, Kim Langton Superintendent Dear DBSD Staff, I am proud of the personnel in the district; we all believe in children and we are here to ensure that each child learns to his or her own highest potential. We have just come off a very difficult year. It was a difficult year because for some of our people, it was their last year with the district. We have lost some very dedicated people, people who worked side by side with us in our goal to serve our kids. This loss has been felt by each of us in our own personal ways. Many have expressed alarm that we will not have some programs, have cut programs, or will not have particular individuals serving children. I share these concerns. I am committed to do all I can, working with staff and the Board to rebuild the budget so that we will be able to add back positions and programs that best serve kids. Administrators have already given a great deal of thought to what priorities we should consider as the budget grows. We will be asking all staff for ideas on that list of priorities, and sharing that with the Board. It is my strong intent, that we will not experience any more cuts from this year to next. That said, it is important to know and realize, that Denali Borough School District is still one of the premier districts in the state. When compared to other schools or districts of similar size and situation, we equal or outperform them in standardized achievement scores, graduation rates, and post graduation education. No budget shortfall will change that, because of who we are, and who our students are. When I heard expressions of gloom and doom last year, I wanted to respond that students would still get a world class education in our schools, that our schools will still be among the very best in the state. Saying it then would have sounded like I was discounting what we were losing and what people were feeling. But it needs to said and believed and demonstrated now. We remain capable of maintaining and even improving the quality of education we have always provided, and we will do so. I am proud of being counted among you as an employee of the Denali Borough School District, serving these wonderful kids. We are indeed lucky to be here. Thanks. Given to DBSD Staff at the Fall Inservice, August 19, 2009. |
|
|
November 20, 2009
|