As we enter a new calendar year I wanted to update you on a few school news items.
You might have heard about school's across Vermont having an "Hour of Code." With technology playing such a large part in our lives, it is not only important for students to use a variety of computing devices but to know how they work. In the spirit of student exploration and creativity, I am starting up our Logical Lizards computer programming club again. This club will be meeting on Tuesday mornings starting on January 14th. Learn more about this club and how to join by clicking this Computer Club Information Link.
I have been working with the UID School Board over the past few months to develop a budget for the next school year. The Board finalized a budget at its last meeting to bring to the voters in March. School budgeting is always difficult and this year was no exception. Our goal is to bring a reasonable budget to the voters that preserves the excellent education that we provide our students. The proposed budget supports all of our current educational programming and includes funds for needed building repairs and access to technology for students that supports our curriculum. The proposed budget does include some cuts this year including the reduction of one teaching position, a reduction of the art and music programs to one day each week and a reduction of our nursing position from 75% to 50%. Our students will still have weekly art and music classes and overall class sizes will be around 14 to 16 students each with these cuts. This brings our budget to just slightly below the current year's level. The frustrating part of this process is that our school funding is tied to school funding across our whole state. With overall enrollments declining across most towns in Vermont and with education expenses going up in many towns we will still see a tax increase that will not be finalized until the Legislature has done its budget work this spring. If you have questions about this proposed budget I encourage you to contact a School Board member (Find Contacts at This Link). Likewise, if you have questions about how the budget impacts educational programming at UID, I encourage you to contact me.
I would like to invite parents and community members to join me for a Coffee Chat on January 10th from 7:30 to 8:30 AM. This is an informal opportunity to talk about our school and ask me any questions that might be on your mind.