I’m sure that every parent and grandparent wants the very best for the children they love. We want them to succeed in life no matter what they choose to pursue and we want their education to be the very best. Jeffco Schools has stood for educational excellence for more than 60 years; it’s my hope that the tradition of excellence continues for at least another 60 years. It’s been a challenge this year to find the dollars necessary to sustain the people and programs that make Jeffco great. Our funding from the state is $760 less per child than it was three years ago. Our budget reductions for the 2012-13 school year totaled $20 million with the cuts coming out of employee compensation, central administration and support, and the district’s savings account. As an organization, we came together to keep the reductions away from the classroom because it was the right thing to do for our kids. However, the outlook for 2013-14 is discouraging – we are looking at possibly cutting $43 million from the budget. Here’s what that number could mean to a typical school:
Elementary school level:•The loss of two teachers
•Class sizes of 27-31 students
•A half-time teacher librarian instead of full time
•No fifth or sixth grade band or orchestra music teacher
Middle school level:•The loss of two teachers
•No teacher librarian
•The loss of a counselor
•The loss of electives
High school level:• The loss of seven teachers
•The loss of a campus supervisor
•The loss of one assistant principal
•The loss of a custodian
As you can see, our budget reduction list is made up of people and programs which will impact our students. We can’t rely on the state to fix our budget situation – in Jeffco we try to determine our own future. How can you help? Please contact info@supportjeffcoschools.com or visit www.supportjeffcoschools.com
Thank you for your support of Jeffco Schools,
Dr. Cindy Stevenson, Superintendent
