Dear Parents, community members and staff,
We
are pleased to send you our first PUSD e-bulletin. The
e-bulletin provides timely communication with our school community in a cost-effective
manner.
On
August 25, students returned for the new school year, with the exception of students
at Abraxas High School and some students at Valley Elementary School who began school
in mid-July. They were welcomed by our dedicated teachers and supportive staff, who
are making every effort to ensure that all our students have a special year.
The
challenge is greater this year. With the increasingly difficult budget picture, we had
to cut about 10% of our budget (approximately $20 million) over the past two years,
including more than 300 staff. Our administrative and support staffs have been reduced
at the district and school site levels. The State budget picture has presented one of
the biggest challenges in our ability to meet the educational needs of our students.
In addition, we are not experiencing the same level of student growth, which helped
our funding needs over the past 25 years.
Throughout
this difficult process, I believe we have made a concerted effort to focus limited
resources on our primary work of student learning. However, the cuts are deep and some
class sizes are up in grades 4-12. In addition, these changes will be noticeable in
many areas, including in the front offices, in custodial support, and districtwide
maintenance. I am committed to helping the staff find new ways of doing our work and
also to making adjustments within our resources in a timely manner. We recognize that
for an entering kindergarten student, 6th grade student, or senior in high school that
this is the only year each gets to experience that grade level, and we need to make a
concerted effort to ensure that your child’s educational experience is positive and
productive.
Many thanks to all of you who supported the efforts of the PUSD Foundation
Community Campaign for a Quality Education and other community efforts to raise funds
to equitably restore some programs that would have had to be cut. Your efforts
districtwide, as boosters and at school foundations and PTA are allowing our students
to continue receiving programs and events this year.
Additionally, your support of Proposition U last
fall has resulted in the planning for improvements at 24 school sites that will make a
meaningful difference to the students. Your desire to do the best for our children
gives us the momentum to move forward.
What makes me the most optimistic about the future is the collective commitment of
our staff to challenge each and every child to reach his/her potential. We are
fortunate to have a very dedicated and caring staff who are going the extra mile to
make it work. Our vision, goal, and targets around literacy and meeting our facility
needs will allow us to come together to find new and better ways of ensuring all
students have the preparation for the world they enter after leaving high school. I’m
looking forward to continuing this important work of helping all students learn.
We would ask our parents and community partners to be understanding as we seek new
ways to serve you and your child with fewer resources. Your suggestions and feedback
are essential to our improvement efforts. Please email Sharon Raffer, Director of
Communications, at sraffer@powayusd.com with
your ideas, concerns, or suggestions. This will help us better know how we are doing
and how we can make the most informed changes. In the interim, your understanding and
support are greatly appreciated .
Finally, our students did not create this
financial crisis, and they deserve our best. We will continue to work hard to have our
voice heard in Sacramento for adequate school funding and to ensure that whatever
reductions come to K-12 education, we don’t experience an unfair share. Having our
school community stay connected through the PUSD e-bulletin
will allow us to keep you informed about what is happening in our local public
schools, in Sacramento, and in the nation when educational issues impact our schools.
Through our shared support and commitment, we can challenge our students to do
their very best.
Warm regards,
Donald A. Phillips, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Archived Letters
from the Superintendent
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