From Jefferson County Public Schools:
GOLDEN, CO, Jan. 23, 2017 – The Board of Education (BOE) will soon be making some tough budget decisions. With the failure of the 3A/3B ballot measures in November and limited state revenue for K-12 education, Jeffco Public Schools is forced to set priorities based on what is best for students and then reallocate resources to meet those priorities.
Your input is needed and valued! Go to http://jeffcoschools.citizenbudget.com/ to learn about the issues and options, then weigh in on those options. Please share the link! For a primer on the issues, watch this brief video.
There will also be four telephone town hall meetings on Feb. 1 and Feb. 7 about the budget. See the flyer for details.
For additional finance and budget details, go to http://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/finance/index.html.
The Board has directed staff to propose a budget that enables competitive compensation. With Jeffco Public Schools teachers making an average of 10 percent less than teachers in surrounding areas, the district risks losing good teachers if the issue isn’t addressed. The single biggest factor of student success is a good teacher, so attracting and retaining quality staff is a priority.
Below is the tentative budget timeline with public input opportunities denoted (*). Dates may change as the process moves forward.
- Jan. 21−Feb. 10: The online budget tool http://jeffcoschools.citizenbudget.com/ is open to gather input from the public on priority recommendations for the 2017/18 budget*
- Jan. 26: 2017/18 Budget Overview with Cabinet reallocation recommendations, and facilities update including 6th grade moves and possible school closures at BOE meeting
- Feb. 1: Telephone town hall meetings at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Call 855-3312-2107*
- Feb. 7: Telephone town hall meetings at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Call 855-3312-2107*
- March 16: Study session on 2017/18 Budget including reports from the District AccountabilityCommittee and community online budget tool results; BOE direction to staff anticipated
- April 20: Special BOE meeting with Public Hearing for 2017/18 Proposed budget and legislative update*
- May 4: Anticipated 2017/18 Budget adoption/appropriation at BOE meeting*
Public comment is always welcome at regular BOE meetings, however if comment item is not on the meeting agenda the comment period is at the end of the meeting. You may also email the Board of Education at any time. For more information and the latest budget updates go to www.jeffcopublicschools.org.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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