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The Chillicothe Board of Education last week announced generally how the district will reduce its budget by $1.65 million. We understand that it was a difficult decision to make and we know that more tough decisions remain. The board president stated at last week’s meeting that the budget cuts will hurt families in the district and will hurt the students in the district. Anytime you start taking teachers away from the classrooms, the students suffer. The budget reduction plan (as it was first announced) called for around 20 positions to be cut. We have since learned that two of those will be spared because of the relocation of the Chillicothe Alternative Center for Education. We appreciate the board being forthcoming in announcing what will be cut, but many unknowns remain. We strongly urge the district to take steps to organize an informational forum and release more specifics about these cuts. For example, we know the district plans to eliminate several high school and elementary teaching positions. How and when will we know who will be leaving and what impact fewer teachers will have on the programs and education now offered? We need to know more than just what the savings will be. We need to know the impact that lies beyond the budget numbers. An informational forum would be appreciated by the district’s teachers, its staff and its patrons.
The Chillicothe Board of Education last week announced generally how the district will reduce its budget by $1.65 million. We understand that it was a difficult decision to make and we know that more tough decisions remain. The board president stated at last week’s meeting that the budget cuts will hurt families in the district and will hurt the students in the district. Anytime you start taking teachers away from the classrooms, the students suffer. The budget reduction plan (as it was first announced) called for around 20 positions to be cut. We have since learned that two of those will be spared because of the relocation of the Chillicothe Alternative Center for Education. We appreciate the board being forthcoming in announcing what will be cut, but many unknowns remain. We strongly urge the district to take steps to organize an informational forum and release more specifics about these cuts. For example, we know the district plans to eliminate several high school and elementary teaching positions. How and when will we know who will be leaving and what impact fewer teachers will have on the programs and education now offered? We need to know more than just what the savings will be. We need to know the impact that lies beyond the budget numbers. An informational forum would be appreciated by the district’s teachers, its staff and its patrons.
