{Neil Rochelle} Dear Community Members, Parents, Faculty, Staff and Students,
Happy New Year! I hope 2010 brings us all a more peaceful place in the world and an economy that rebounds giving thousands back their homes and jobs. The past year has brought many blessings to the Iroquois family along with some tragedy. The one constant is that the Chiefs stand together: in good and the not-so-good!
We are acclaimed not only for our athletics, but our music and drama productions. I hope you had an opportunity to see some of our winter concerts and athletic competitions. Our children surely made us proud. It is in the Iroquois tradition that we maintain the first-rate education Iroquois is recognized for. We do that with talented teachers, committed students and dedicated parents and community members. On behalf of all the program leaders, I thank you for your continued support.
As I think about the outstanding opportunities we have been able to provide our students, it is difficult to write as I digest the Governor's Budget Proposal. Massive cuts to social services, health care, and yes, schools. This is a typical yearly event. The Governor releases his budget, special interests groups spend weeks editorializing the damage such cuts would cause, and then the legislature attempts to supplement as much as possible before the state budget is finalized. This year is no different. The difference comes in severity. This is sure to be one of our most challenging years yet……
We are well aware of the tax payer's mindset: Taxes, including property taxes continue to climb, for our money we receive less services as agencies continue to make cuts in order to have revenues match their expenditures and, the unemployment rate has reached nearly 9%. Frustration looms as no one seems to have a solution and the cycle continues. Now our Federal Government is ‘stimulating the economy' by sending millions of dollars to states which results in a band-aid approach with states not being able to meet their obligations and no plan for when ‘the money runs out'. As we begin the budget process for the 2010-2011 school year, all these facts play over and over in my mind. I am far from immune to these frustrations.
The Governor's budget includes a significant reduction in school aid for Iroquois. While being informed of a $1.6 million cut in state aid, the truth results in a need to reduce expenditures by $3.2 million. Where does a small rural school cut as such a drastic level? Seeing the ‘writing on the wall', we made many reductions mid-year last year equating to nearly $600,000 in cuts. We have negotiated for less expensive but quality health insurance for our employees saving thousands of dollars. Still, it is not enough. Education is a people business. Most of our costs are in salary. The challenge will be, how do we maintain such a high quality district as we face looming cuts in personnel? A simple answer is ‘together'. We need to all work together to come up with practical solutions to a serious issue. Our board will be extremely involved in the budget process this year. They will assist us in developing guiding principles to steer our budget development. This will not be an easy task and decisions will be complex. We need to discuss things such as:
We all need to work together, listen, learn from each other and have an open-mind that the steps we need to take are not by choice: they are out of necessity and years of the state shifting state expenses to our tax payers and property owners.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Lastly, tumultuous times often lead to rumors and misinformation. If you hear things that you question, please ask for confirmation. You are always free to contact me or any of the members of the board of education. While it should go without saying, please know we will do our absolute best for our children.
In Education,
Neil A. Rochelle
Superintendent of Schools
