Some Good News...Some Not So Good

If any of you have tuned in to last evening's Board of Education meeting, you know what I mean by the title of this entry. Prior to the meeting, we discussed the budget for the upcoming school year. That, of course, is the bad news.

However, during the Board meeting there were at least three pieces of good news. Our girl's State Hockey Champs were recognized at the meeting last evening as were two of our senior students that earned the Presidential Scholar Award. In both cases, students were duly honored for achievements that are nothing less than outstanding!

The third piece of good news is that the district's Foundation presented the school district with a check in the amount of $350,000 to further the implementation of classroom technology. With this latest contribution, we can expect to have every classroom at South outfitted with a Smartboard and the necessary accessories by early next fall. That is truly something we could not have accomplished without the efforts of Mr. Bob Bury, Mrs. Lisa Vreede, Mr. Pat Burke and others that dedicate their efforts to fund raising. I encourage you to watch a tape delay of the Board meeting to see their presentation first-hand.

The bad news is simply reflective of the economic struggles in Michigan. What Governor Snyder has originally forecast for schools will result in Draconian cuts. We are hopeful that the legislature will have some impact in peeling back those deep cuts, however, we know that cuts are in order with even a best case scenario.

At South, that means class sizes will get just a little larger and cuts of other personnel will mean a reduction in services. It just seems to be a sign of the times. For the 2012-13 school year, we have to look at our current schedule for the school day. We can't continue the seven-period day the way it is currently offered. The tutorials that about 50% of the students are enrolled in are not a good use of time or money. We simply must get more efficient with our schedule.

There will be much greater detail about the budget in the coming months. Until then, let's hope spring weather finally arrives.