Our school district, the Pine Bush Central School District, is in the process of formulating a budget for the next school year. Like many school districts in New York state and I am sure across the country, Pine Bush Central School District is faced with severe cuts in income through lowered contributions by the state and lowered tax income. There are several options being considered. It seems that one of the options is to cut services to the bone. This would eliminate many programs that help to keep our children involved in
school. The quality of our schools affects our property values in the district. It is important to keep our school's reputation intact. Well I think it is time to rethink how we do things.
You see it is not about cutting this program and slashing that one it is about finding a way to deliver the same service for less. In the real estate business most of the Brokers have made adjustments in their business plans or they have gone out of business. In my brokerage we have cut down to two main offices from the five locations we had during the peek of the market. We have cut down on administrative assistants and the broker has asked the agents and associates in the office to contribute towards a marketing budget. We are still providing the same service for our clients but we have cut back on expenses and found more effective ways of doing things. The schools need to do the same.
Can we rethink the status quo and come up with creative solutions that allow our kids to continue to get the quality educational opportunities and the rich extra curricular programs? I believe it is
possible. It will take everyone working together, the school board, administrative staff, teachers, community, students, and parents. It will take creative minds and a willingness to do things in a different way but it can work.
I hope that you all will come out for some of the upcoming Budget Forums or Board of Ed Meetings. This week there is Two Budget Forums on Monday and Wednesday nights at 6:00 PM at Circleville Middle School and a Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM at Circleville Middle School. We can do this for the district and for the kids.
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Paddy,
This is timely and very important subject that needs to be addressed! Our children are our future...and you are right...there are ways to keep the quality there..
Thanks for your comment Lori. I think we just need to get creative and we can win.
Paddy,
I really like what you say about rethinking and the example you give from your office. The very hard reality is that schools will have to cut staff and reduce facilities or possibly merge magnet schools if they are going to maintain the same or at least a similar level of service. This is an emotional topic but one that needs to be looked at honestly and productively. I hope residents in the Pine Bush School District can do just that.
Thanks Scott. Schools have to make adjustments just as we all do in this economy. I think that we can provide the same caliber of education to our children with less expense if we all work together. A quality school system is a privilege and a huge attraction for home buyers. Magnet Schools are a wonderful idea to consolidate and share costs with several districts contributing but the spirit of cooperation will need to be strengthened. We can't just create another layer of administration and bureaucracy.