Hello and Welcome!
The 2008-2009 General Fund Budget reflects the priorities identified in the District’s Vision and Goals as follows:
Goal 1: To develop and implement a system to ensure effective communication among, school, home, community, and staff.
Goal 2: To establish Professional Learning Communities, focusing on standards and alignment of core academic areas including an emphasis on Vocational Education/Enrichment & Advanced Studies at the middle and high school levels.
Goal 3: To increase the percentages of students meeting and exceeding Oregon State Assessment Standards by focusing on improvement of curriculum and instructional services in math, reading, and writing across the curriculum.
Goal 4: To provide resources for faculty, staff and community in their efforts to nurture and establish a positive school climate and culture for our students.
Goal 5: To use technology to improve academic instruction, enhance district communication with 2CJ District policies to be on line, and facilitate efficient and effective administration of District.
Goal 6: Begin the process of developing a 3-5 year long-term plan for the 2CJ School District.
It is the belief of Board of Directors that all expenditures of resources must be closely aligned with the purpose and goals of this district. All students, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender and class background can learn and must be supported in their effort to reach the same high standards.
The 2008-09 General Fund Budget reflects the district’s proactive response to a decline in revenues due to:
1) Decline in student enrollment;
2) Discovery that ODE had over paid the district $622,000 over the past three years.
Budget priorities reflect lower projected revenues as well as State School Support projected to be withheld for repayment.
Since 2001 enrollment has dropped by approximately 20 students each year. Beginning in 2006-07 it remained steady at just under 340 students. 2007-08 saw another drop in student enrollment; since State School Support is figured on a per student formula, the loss of students translates into the loss of thousands of dollars of district revenue. Projected enrollment for the 2008-09 year is 299.
Working together as a team, the Superintendent, Business Manager, Principals, Administrative Assistant and other ESD staff have built this budget. This General Fund budget will continue to fund the programs and activities supported in the previous year’s budget with a better allocation of resources to do so. Administrative support has been restructured having less impact on the general fund while addressing the Board of Directors’ priorities and maintaining an adequate beginning fund balance for the following year. On site administrative support at each K-8 building will be reduced from full-time to half-time principal position. Two Educational Assistant positions, from which people resigned during the 2007-08 school year, will be cut (not filled). Classrooms at primary level will be reorganized to effectively serve a lower number of students, reducing the teaching staff by one position. Using grant funds in addition to general funds, the district will be able to extend kindergarten to full-day without any charge to parents, a goal many districts are still unable to achieve.
I want to thank my budget-development team, Brenda Culley, Administrative Assistant and Mick Lane, Principal, as well as Teri Pointer and her staff at South Coast ESD, for the work they have put into this budget proposal.
Respectfully submitted,
Ruby Price
Superintendent
Port Orford-Langlois School District
