From Superintendent Ken Ladouceur
Dear St. Johns Community:
This letter is a follow up to my letter of April 20, 2011 where I described the budget crisis that St. Johns Public Schools faces. We are dedicated to finding a solution to this problem that is both financially sound and in the best interest of children. The staff and I have a number of ideas that we intend to present to the Board of Education as part of our budget process. I believe that it is important to keep you informed of our progress.
I previously indicated that we face a budget shortfall of $2.4M. Recent state budget developments have reduced that shortfall slightly however we must still cut $2.204M. None of these proposed changes are entered into lightly and we will do our best to accomplish these changes with the least amount of disruption to children and programs.
After careful consideration of all options we intend to recommend that a portion of the financial shortfall will be best addressed by taking the following steps:
– cutting approximately 16 staff from grades 1 through 12. Every effort will be made to balance class sizes as we implement this reduction.
– restructuring Gateway North and Oakview South elementary schools as K-2 and 3-5 facilities respectively in order to reduce the impact of these unavoidable staff reductions. This restructuring will allow these schools to balance class size more effectively and provide for teacher collaboration and student grouping.
– changing the start time for Gateway North and Oakview South elementary schools to coincide with the middle school and the high school schedules. This will enable us to streamline transportation. Bus supervision and discipline would be sensitive to the presence of younger students. Eureka, Riley and East Olive elementary schools will remain on the current 9 am start time.
– opening Schools of Choice options for all schools allowing for a maximum number of students of approximately 32 children per class. This will allow schools to potentially raise class size without directly cutting more staff and having to restructure grades. In the past the option of Schools of Choice has been a delicate balance for St Johns Public Schools.
The Board of Education is organizing a special meeting on Monday, June 6th at 7 pm to be held in the Wilson Center auditorium to review these proposed changes and to receive public comment. I encourage you to attend this meeting and share your views with the Board.
If I can ever be of assistance to you please contact me at 989-227-4001 or ladouceurk@sjredwings.org.
Sincerely,
Ken Ladouceur PhD
Superintendent