Central Point School District #6

Educational Author Dr. Todd Whitaker says, “Educational success is about people, not programs,  Without great teachers and leaders we will not have great schools.”

We face unprecedented economic times.  Education has historically faced ups and downs in funding but we are currently in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  Shrinking State budgets and declining property tax revenue has reduced education budgets across the country by more than $100 billion, or 17% of the budget.  In fact, the Center on Budget Priorities reports revenues will continue to decrease over the next several years.  Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has told us to “reset” our expectations for future funding since Oregon is one of the States hardest hit by the recession and will likely be one of the last to show recovery, based on how Oregon collects revenue for State services.  In District 6 we are continuing to examine our priorities and focus our limited resources on the greatest needs.  We will face these challenges successfully because, as Dr. Whitaker points out, we have great teachers and leaders.  This is evident in the recent 2009-2010 Statewide Assessment results for District 6.  Due to a significant reduction in funding, Central Point Schools cut 20 days from the calendar last year.  Despite this reduction, teachers produced an increase in State Assessment Scores, beating the State averages in all subject areas but Math.  Our staff continues to do more with less but it can’t last.  We can’t expect schools to be the cultural equalizer for society with continually fewer resources.  We have narrowed our curriculum to focus on essential skills, limiting students’ exposure to art, music, field based learning and athletics; activities that help keep students interested and motivated in school.

We know that the single most important factor in effective schools is the teacher.  Think about your own memorable experiences in school.  Most will remember the kindness, the special attention or a specific situation where a teacher provided support.  This personal connection is what teachers look for in reaching kids.  With larger class sizes, there are fewer opportunities for this special connection to occur.  Teachers continue to try and make time for all students, but they must do so at the expense of preparation time and other professional and personal responsibilities.  Eventually it becomes impossible for teachers to balance their professional and personal lives.  That is why over 25% of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.  A recent study by Payscale Inc. found that Education was one of the two worst jobs to enter with a college degree.  Low pay, public criticism and unstable funding are just some of the factors that impact teachers.  But perhaps the single most detrimental factor is lack of resources to meet the needs of their students.

I marvel every day at the work teachers do with children and I honor their commitment in hard times to do their best with what they have.  But soon we must recognize that children are being cheated out of an opportunity to compete in a global market for jobs when they grow up based on the limitations of our education system today.  In his book The Upside of the Downturn, Geoff Colvin says that best way above all to recapture our economic momentum of the last century is to improve U.S. education.

The reality is, beginning Wednesday September 8th, children will enter our schools with little understanding of the world economic situation, nor will they care.  They will look to their teacher, as the person who will guide them and help then learn new and exciting things.  They didn’t choose to be young during these times and they are not responsible for the circumstances we face, yet perhaps more than any generation before them, they will be expected to learn more with less.  These children will inherit a world very different than the one we grew up in and they will need all the tools we can give them to succeed.  We owe them our very best, our future depends on it.

Randy Gravon
Superintendent

Sorry for the inconvenience, we hope to have a link from the District 6 home page very soon.  Until then please go to cratercomets.com for online registration payment information.

Based on the Governors recent directive to reduce all State budgets by 9% next year, District 6 must reduce the proposed 2010-2011 budget by an additional $1.8 million  This reduction follows a $3 million cut District 6 sustained last year in the adopted 2009-2011 biennium budget.  These cuts have reduced District 6 resources by $4.8 million in two years.  As we move into the second year of the 2009-2011 biennium, we face the most challenging times in funding history for Oregon school districts.  Governor Kulongoski has cautioned school districts to prepare this years’ budget with an eye on the 2011-2013 biennium, which is expected to be more austere than the 2009-2011 budget.

There are still several unknown factors which could have an impact on State funding for schools.  Extension of Federal AARA funds to the States, emergency Federal legislation to fund education, or an emergency session of the Oregon Legislature.  These and other recommendations have been discussed at the State and Federal level.  If, or until we receive additional funding, we must make reductions to cover the lost resources.

Last year we asked our employees to take a 10% reduction in salary by working 90% of a school year.  That resulted in a four day school week.  Under the circumstances we had success, there was not a decline in student assessment scores and we were able to maintain most of our programs.  This solution worked in the short term.  Prior to the recent cuts, we were prepared to return to a five day week for the 2010-2011 school year.  The problem is, we are being told to plan for a 5 to 10 year funding drought.  We don’t believe we can continue to reduce instruction time to our students over a 5 to 10 year period without significant negative impact on their learning.  As a result, this budget plan assumes we can sustain days, programs and class sizes at a reasonable level over the next five year period, if funding remains stable and there aren’t increased costs imposed by the State.  Should additional funds become available, we would restore program, people and days.

Following are the priorities in funding the 2010-2011 school year:

• Increase instructional time for students.
• Sustain reasonable class sizes at all levels, particularly at the elementary level.
• Maintain program offerings for students at the secondary level.
• Sustain Special Education Programs at all levels.
• Support extra-curricular activities for students.
• Support extended learning opportunities for students.

In order to meet these goals, the following reductions are recommended:

• Eliminate 5.5 Elementary Music and Classroom Positions.
• Eliminate 2 Middle School Positions (PE).
• Eliminate 5.5 High School Positions (Business, Voc/Ag, Social Studies, PE, Music, Alternative Ed.).
• Eliminate 2 Custodial Positions.
• Eliminate 2 District Office Positions.
• Eliminate Middle School Athletics.
• Eliminate 3 additional days from the 2010-2011 District Calendar.

Budget Impact:

Priority for Returning Lost Services:

1. Elementary Music
2. Middle School Athletics
3. Teaching Positions
4. Instructional Days

These have been difficult decisions for the Board and administraiton to make and it impacts the lives of many employees as well as the children of District 6.  We hope State Legislators can find the courage to address this problem before we cause irreparable damage to an entire generation of students.

Randy Gravon
Superintendent

With the final weeks of the 2009-2010 school year ahead of us, we are finalizing our budget proposal for the 2010-2011 school year.  Our first meeting is May 13th in the Central Point Elementary cafeteria.  The second budget meeting will be May 20th, also at  CPE.  Both meetings will start at 5:00 pm. We encourage community members to come listen to our proposal and provide feedback to the Budget Committee.  Though we have a clearer idea of what our funding level will be from the State in the second year of the 2009-2011 biennium, it is still well below the funding level for the 2007-2009 biennium.  Governor Kulongoski and State Superintendent Susan Castillo continue to warn us that funding over the next two to four years will be lean.

There will be a modest increase in State School Funds for the 2010-2011 budget year of 2%.  This will be off-set by a slight reduction in student enrollment.  Due to the significant decrease in State School Funds projected for the  2009-2011 biennium, the 2010-2011 budget will continue to represent a $3 to $4 million reduction from the 2008-2009 budget.  In addition, the District is currently in labor negotiations with the Oregon School Employees Association and the Central Point Education Association.  The financial impact of the new contracts is not yet known.

We were able to maintain our teaching staff and most of our programs this past year by operating on a four day week.  Employees took a 10% reduction in pay allowing us to operate within our budget.  It is our goal to add back as many instructional days as possible within our available resources.  Below is a list of budget goals for the 2010-2011 school year.

• Increase instructional days K-12
• Sustain reasonable class sizes at all grade levels
• Continue District Reform efforts K-12
• Continue efforts in Professional Development for Teachers
• Continue Teacher collaboration opportunities through PLC time
• Provide instructional materials
• Sustain Special Eduction Programs at all levels
• Continue building maintenance schedule
• Maintain transportation fleet and bus replacement schedule
• Provide technology support systems for instruction and management
• Support extra-curricular activities for students
• Support extended learning opportunities for student

Please come to our budget meetings to express your opinions on how best to spend our resources on your children.  We will make better decisions if we know how our community feels.

Sincerely,

Randy Gravon
Superintendent

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When you call have available:

• Previous month’s gross income
• Social security numbers
• And the most recent heating bill