ELAINE JACOBS' WEB PAGE
DECEMBER 2008

Whatever your feelings about the outcome of the Presidential election on November 4, there was a feeling of depression in PVUSD because of the defeat of the M&O Override.  Paradise Valley Unified School District is an excellent school district, and the focus will be, as it has always been, on quality education and a quality work environment.  Student achievement and personal development are the heart of our educational mission, and nothing in those areas will change.  Most likely the M&O Override will come before voters again next November.

Override elections allow voters to approve increases to a school district budget so that the district an operate at 10% above the state-funding limit.  This override funding pays for class size reductions, special area ateachers, employee salaries, reading specialists, and prevention programs.

Because the Override did not pass, the District must cut $7,000,000 from the 2009-2010 budget alone.  Parents may not know that 88% of any school district budget is "people."  Sometimes budget suggestions are made to cut this program or that program, but program cuts mean people cuts.  For the 2009-2010 school year, our District will be looking at potential solutions such as increasing class size, reducing budgets for supplies, limiting travel, limiting training, cutting special area teachers, and, "Yes, cutting programs.  The process used to make these cuts will involve all stakeholders and involve collaboration, yet the cuts will be painful.

IMPORTANT DECEMBER DATES:
1               3:00 p.m. - School Council
2               2:35 p.m. - NJHS
4               2:35 p.m. - Choir Rehearsal
                7:00 p.m. - Governing Board Meeting
6               Track and Field Festival -- Shea/Shadow Mountain
8               2:45 p.m. - Leadership Team Meeting
10              8:30 a.m. - School Spelling Bee
11              2:30 p.m. - Detention
                6:00 p.m. - Art Show
                7:00 p.m. - Winter Choir Concert
12              6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Winter Dance
16              7:00 p.m. - Band Concert
18              7:00 p.m. - Governing Board Meeting
19              Study Island Movie Reward Day
                Quarter 2 Ends
12/22-1/4       Winter Break

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