Press Release - 11/27/06
School Levy: A Thank You Message from the Superintendent
A parent shared with me that on the morning after the November 7 election her eight-year-old daughter woke up early, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and asked, “Did the school district win?” When her mother told her that the school levy passed, her eyes lit up and she said, “Do I get two days of music starting this week?”
With the passage of our school levy on November 7, I can’t help but share in this eight-year-old’s excitement about the positive changes that are coming for 509J students and staff. I want to extend my profound appreciation to our community for supporting our levy. As superintendent, I recognize the difficult challenges of balancing the educational needs of our students with the financial constraints experienced by our tax payers. The decision to place a levy on the ballot was not made lightly, and I promise to work diligently to assure that the resources will be used wisely to support the learning needs of our students.
The district will begin implementing levy-supported changes in fall 2007. The levy will fund additional teachers at our middle and high schools to reduce large class sizes in core subject areas such as math, language arts, social studies and science. Resources also will be dedicated at the high school level to provide additional vocational instruction and equipment. Students need to be able to develop vocational skills and knowledge as they learn academics to prepare them for success beyond high school. High school athletics and activities also will benefit from the levy. About 70% of our students currently participate in one or more sports or activities. These programs help keep many students engaged in school, and many require students to maintain a minimum grade point average to participate.
Levy funding also will purchase K-5 reading materials and textbooks, and fund specialists to support reading instruction across the district. And, as recognized by that eight-year-old, it will double the PE and music time funded centrally by the district. Currently the district funds 30 minutes each of PE and music per week.
I have no doubt that the additional revenue from the levy will help us with our goal of improving student learning. We will be better equipped to challenge all students, and to provide extra support for those who are struggling. Our creative and talented staff will be joined by new staff funded by the levy in the important work of meeting the learning needs of all our students.
Thank you to our community for your generous support of our schools.
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