The Husky Den News For January
by George Griffith
January 15, 2010
YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED
I would like to touch on an issue I spoke about earlier this year which is the children I see in the district every day. These children come to school full of excitement and with a desire to be the best they can be. Very few things bring an educator as much joy as when they see the love of learning in the smiling faces of our children. Northern Valley provides the students we serve with an excellent education and other programs to help our youth become the best they can be.
I know we have a strong community and parent base that is
passionate about our students and our school. I ask you now to use
that voice and passion to try to influence our legislators to
approve the governor’s plan to raise the sales tax 1 cent as well
as increasing the tax on cigarettes. This will not only keep the
state from cutting further from education and other state programs
but it will also help to add some additional funds to the our
schools as well as other programs that are vital to many in our
state. It is your voice they need to hear and I ask that you let
them hear you with all the husky pride you can muster.
THE HUSKY DEN NEWS: JANUARY 15,
2010
As the New Year begins Northern Valley and school districts across
the state are faced with learning what additional cuts each
district will be dealing with. If the legislature does not follow
the Governor’s recommendations, Northern Valley looks to lose an
additional $127,000 which will result in further changes in the
district structure. To exacerbate the problem further, this summer
we will have to replace the main boiler in Almena which is
estimated at around $50,000 but could be more depending on if
anything needs done to the piping which is likely. In addition we
have a few other necessary maintenance items which could result in
a total decrease in district revenues in the amount of around
$200,000. I am in the process of researching ALL possible options
to address these shortfalls for the next couple of years by which
time the financial situation looks to improve. (If we can get
through these next two years, Northern Valley will survive).
What we all need to think about is “what is important” because
tough choices will need to be made. The status quo will not be able
to be maintained and some things will need to be sacrificed if we
want the school to survive and only so many places can be cut.
However, the one thing I feel we cannot sacrifice is the quality of
education our students have at Northern Valley which in my opinion
is second to none. Many of the staff at Northern Valley have
already stepped up and taken on additional duties voluntarily and
most teachers provide some supplies for their classrooms at their
own expense and I applaud all my staff for being an excellent
educational team. The board of education has made many tough
decisions already and will be making more in the coming months. I
am responsible for coming up with recommendations to the board but
the options are limited. I feel strongly that our district will be
one that survives this financial downturn but only if we take the
proactive steps and make the cuts needed to make this happen; every
possible option is being looked at (uniform purchases have been
delayed and the textbook cycle is on hold, etc.). In order to do
what is best for our children at Northern Valley, we must make
these choices for next year very soon. Unfortunately, we cannot
afford to wait.
