May School Board Meeting

The full packet of materials for the May Regular School Board Meeting is now available at https://sites.google.com/a/alburnettcsd.org/main/central-office/board-agendas.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. on May 20.

April Regular School Board Meeting

The full packet of materials for the April Regular School Board Meeting is now available at https://sites.google.com/a/alburnettcsd.org/main/central-office/board-agendas.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. on April 15.

Input on 2 Important Topics

Sincere thanks to all who were able to attend the School & Community Forum last evening. I appreciated seeing the chairs filled, hearing your pointed questions, and listening to your thoughtful opinions about the future of finances in the Alburnett district. This future must include a careful balance between reductions in spending and an increase in revenue. Finding the balance requires input from our community about what an appropriate school tax rate would be and what services best meet the needs of our students. Communicating your thoughts on this right now is critical. Our school board must make decisions, and they cannot do that without our input. Please remember they need our input now, not after they have had to make decisions.

Now, back to an earlier conversation…a few weeks ago I posed the following question: Why (or why not) is it important for students to take primary responsibility and ownership for their learning? I would encourage you to check out the responses that followed. In the course of dialogue I’ve been asked to clarify the question a bit. I’ve been reading Engaging Students: The Next Level of Working on the Work, by Phillip Schlechty. So to borrow from Schlechty, I think the best way to answer the request might be to layer a few more questions into the conversation, but this time with a bit more specificity. For example, we might ask…are the products that students are asked to produce clearly intended to be useful to other students, parents, or community leaders? Or…Are students encouraged to assess their own work in terms of the standards set, and do they participate frequently in group assessment processes? We might also ask…Do students generally place personal value on the products and performances they are asked to produced?

Thanks for the conversations on both important topics. I look forward to many more.

Thank You

Thank you for the wonderful attendance at the Regular School Board Meeting on March 18th. I appreciate the opportunity to share such a large amount of information with so many concerned community members. Your willingness to learn more about the financial health of our district and how we might plan for the future are greatly appreciated.

We will be posting a recording of the presentation on the school web site as soon as possible. If you were able to attend, please let us know what questions you have. I would be glad to meet with you or any small group if you want to share your opinions.

If you were not able to attend and would like to hear the information in person, please contact me to schedule a time. Also, the next School & Community Forum will be Monday, April 1 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. I hope to see you then.

What’s the big deal?

I’ve been pondering the question that many in our Alburnett community members might be asking right now….what’s the big deal about the budget presentation Monday night, and why would I want to go to that (a.k.a. can’t I just read it in the paper)?

Here’s the bottom line – schools are a reflection of their community. No matter what requirements are handed down to us from decision-makers outside of Alburnett, your elected school board members and your hired administrators must make decisions within the parameters given to us by our community. Of course we will strive to be highly informed and prepared to make decisions, probably in ways that you might not be finding time for. That’s our responsibility. But we need you to have access to the same information to which we have access. We need to make decisions that reflect the well-informed parameters given to us by our community.

The board meeting Monday night is not a public hearing – that will come April 8. But it is a great opportunity to get information first hand. Grab a friend and join us!!

March Regular School Board Meeting

The full packet of materials for the March Regular School Board Meeting are now available at http://www.alburnettcsd.org/central-office/board-agendas.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 18.

Planning Our Future Together

 

Alburnett CSD Welcomes You

With an Invitation to Become Well-Informed

A Presentation of Information

Regarding the Financial Health

of the Alburnett CSD

During the March Regular Board Meeting

March 18, 7:00 p.m.
Additional seating will be added to accommodate visitors

In preparation of the 2013-2014 School Budget, the Alburnett CSD Board of Education will be receiving a comprehensive review of finances. Topics will include:

• Review of School Funds, Ending Fund Balance, and Unspent Budget Authority
• “Big Picture” Understanding of Financial Health Recovery – understanding hard decisions
• Why Does it Look Like We Are Recovering?
• Financial Health Work-Out Plan Part 1 – Decrease Expenditures
• Financial Health Work-Out Plan Part 2 – Increase Revenue
• How do we arrive at a total Tax Asking?
• A Tax Asking Relative To Our Circumstances

• Publication Requirements and What Happens After Publication?

  Visitors will leave with valuable information about the past, present, and future of district finances