Walch Education

I went to a school board meeting this week to listen in on a discussion regarding budgets cuts and the impact on class sizes.

I should say, as background, that our schools are both excellent and small. That said, the issues they are struggling with are widespread.

Our schools are facing a state budget curtailment of $326 per K-12 student this year. In ‘10/11 they are facing a curtailment of $697 per student, and in ‘11/12 anticipate a curtailment of $557 per student. And, of course, when the stimulus $ dry up who knows what the budget will be.

I was astonished by the magnitude of these cuts. We live in tough times, and we all are being forced to cut back. Most districts are facing tough decisions and have very limited resources.

That said, I respectfully asked our school board to maintain a focus on resources in the classroom. It’s of paramount importance that we fund education sufficiently, and the top priority must be to ensure that teachers and students get what they need to teach and learn.

I hope that districts everywhere place student learning first. And I also hope that Walch can continue to help them save with targeted, research based curriculum delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional “one size fits all” materials. We can help a district do a lot more with a lot less. That seems to be particularly relevant these days!

-Al.