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| Abingdon School District Residents Present Cost Savings Ideas |
The District 217 School Board asked for suggestions for saving money in the district, and a large group that turned out for a special meeting obliged.
The board hosted a Tabletop Town Meeting Wednesday night at Hedding Grade School that 70 faculty and staff members, parents and other interested residents attended. The attendees were split into eight groups that sat at tables and brainstormed about what the school district is doing well, ways it can improve and how it can save money.
Superintendent Dr. Tami Roskamp says District 217 is anticipating a loss of about $673,000 in state revenue next fiscal year. The bulk of it is general state aid and mandated categorical funding cuts totaling about $492,000 as a result of the governor's proposal to slash more than $1 billion from the state's K through 12 education budget.
The Abingdon School Board earlier this month approved a budget reduction plan that Roskamp says will save the district more than $571,000. The remaining deficit - a little more than $100,000 - would come out of the district's reserves unless more cuts are made or revenue enhancements can be found.
Some of the cost saving ideas from the public included combining bus routes, restructuring the administration and changing to a four-day school week.
Roskamp tells WGIL she was impressed by the turnout, and the format of the meeting literally allowed everyone to present their ideas.
"They had a voice," Roskamp said. "That was the intent for tonight is that all people, all ages - even students - some elementary students had a voice, everyone in neighborhoods all had voices, faculty, staff, board members all had a voice. It was wonderful. Seventy people here is awesome."
The ideas presented at the meeting will be reviewed by an advisory committee, which Roskamp says will follow up on the information and make recommendations.
Roskamp says the committee will also look at some of suggestions regarding what District 217 needs to improve on and what it's doing well.
A survey is available on the the District 217 website for people to submit their ideas - including those who attended the meeting who think of something else. Roskamp says it's an anonymous survey and the information submitted will go to the advisory committee and the school board.
You can find a link to the survey by CLICKING HERE.
Residents of the Abingdon School District, school board members, faculty and staff from the district's schools attend a Tabletop Town Meeting Wednesday night inside the Hedding Grade School gymnasium to discuss cost saving ideas
One of the eight groups writes down some of the things the district is doing well and ranks them in order of importance at Wednesday night's special Abingdon School Board Tabletop Town Meeting
(WGIL News Story and Photos by Mike Perry) |
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| 03 25 10 by Newsroom |
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