Thank you to Eudora Superintendent Splichal for explaining what today’s actions and likely future actions mean to Eudora schools. We hope other superintendents and school boards will share information with their community members as well. Parents and other community members can be more effective advocates if they receive information and requests for help.
Dear friend of Eudora Schools:
As you may have heard, this afternoon Governor Sam Brownback announced 1.5% in school district “allotments” – cuts that don’t require legislative approval – effective March 7. In Eudora, this translates to an $81,000 cut to our current budget. This is not good news.
It will take me some time to formulate a plan to address this cut, but I will be working with building and district leaders to find the solutions that – though painful – are the most appropriate. In the meantime, I have asked each of the outstanding professionals who make up our district to do what they can to reduce use of resources and delay any and all purchases until further notice.
I must also note that the legislature is currently working two bills. Senate Bill 71 would cut approximately $75,000 from the current fiscal year from our local option budget. Senate Bill 4 would delay a portion of capital outlay payments from this current budget year until June. Please understand, the measures being discussed in Topeka are only temporary fixes to the current budget year. Given revenue forecasts, there is every reason to expect the pain of cuts to schools will continue for some time.
This news is upsetting in many, many ways. Sadly, it is news that many have seen coming for quite some time. Until the governor and state lawmakers choose to restore revenue streams – most notably, the tax plan passed in 2012 that has brought us to this point – Eudora Schools and districts all across our state will suffer.
If you’d like to see the budget documents for our district, including our cash balances, go to: http://bit.ly/1zTf85k for documents you can download. Please also feel free to contact me if you’d like any additional details.
Thank you for your patience during this time. Our district’s greatest strength is the loyal support we receive from our community. I urge you to contact your legislators as soon as possible and tell them that these cuts are hurting Eudora kids and Eudora families.
Sincerely,
Steve Splichal
Superintendent of Schoolsstevesplichal@eudoraschools.org
785-542-4910
http://www.eudoraschools.org/vnews/display.v/ART/54d3edff2c0c2?template=m