STANDARD VOLUME
5 / NO. 4 March/April 2007
BUILDING A LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Dear Colleagues and Parents:
If you’ve been following the news, you know that many school districts across the state are extremely concerned about how they will fund the next school year. This is due to the decreasing level of state education aid districts will receive and the constraints placed upon them to comply with a new RI law (R.I. 3050) that limits the annual increase on a town’s tax levy to 5.25 percent next year.
In Middletown, these factors have made the budget process very difficult. Of particular concern this year as we worked to conform with R.I. 3050 are the programs we reduced that support overall student well-being, specifically – two Guidance Counselors, one nurse teacher, one English As A Second Language teacher and middle school and freshman athletics. These programs and positions provide significant safety nets for students and families. As a result of these reductions, the community as a whole needs to fill these gaps through an active recreation program and partnerships with social service agencies. Additionally, an unintentional consequence with the sale of the Anchorage Housing found the School Department with a reduction of $1 million dollars in Impact Aid revenue. Both these factors resulted in the following reductions:
¨ 19.1 Teaching Positions
¨ 1.0 Teacher Assistant Position
¨ High School reorganization
¨ Middle School and Freshman sports
¨ Supplies
¨ Textbooks
¨ Purchased Services
¨ Capital Outlay
Please be assured that, despite the financial challenges we’re facing, we will continue to keep our eye on the mark for student achievement and look for new ways to continue offering high-quality educational programs. An article on page 2 is a great example of how we’re accomplishing that at the high school by offering our students advanced-level courses through Virtual High School, an online educational program based in Massachusetts.
As always, I thank you for your continued support and will keep you posted on our progress.
Sincerely,
Rosemarie K. Kraeger
Superintendent