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How schools task force reached its recommendation for override

Editor’s note: At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Kyrene School District’s Governing Board approved a budget override election to be held this spring. The following explains why the measure is important and how it would affect area residents.

Kyrene School District voters will be asked on May 20 to decide whether to renew an existing maintenance and operation override and to approve a second override that would provide additional funding for early education.

The election asks for continuation of an override that voters have continuously approved for the past 20 years, most recently in 1998.

The second measure, aimed at grades K-3, would allow the district to use a task force of educators and others to develop a special program designed to improve the academic achievement of low-achieving pupils.

When first considering whether the district should ask voters to renew its M&O override a year early, as well as to approve the K-3 override, district officials began by formulating a group of school and district leaders to study the issue.

Once formed, the district override committee examined the pros and cons of both overrides as well as generated ideas of what the additional K-3 funding could be used for.

Areas that the committee recommended for closer examination were, first and foremost, class size reduction in targeted grades, followed by supplemental funding to improve access to the tuition-based All Day Kindergarten program. It also recommended funding for academic intervention programs.

In developing their recommendations, district officials also recognized the importance of gathering input from all stakeholders in the school community.

First, the ride committee shared its preliminary findings with the entire district’s leadership team and solicited the members’ initial reactions.

Principals, directors and their assistants expressed overwhelming support for the continuation of the M&O override. They also discussed the K-3 override and how it could remove barriers to academic achievement as well as efforts to improve instruction or increase the amount of instruction.

Although further work would need to be done to specify exactly what intervention programs could be designed, the team did recognize the benefits the K-3 override would have on low-achieving pupils.

District leaders were also interested in knowing the community’s level of support for combining both overrides for the May election.

From there, the committee sought out the primary consultants to develop a random telephone survey to parents and voters in the community.

The purpose of the survey was to gauge the community’s support for the override, its timing and purpose.

The results of the survey determined that 92 percent of those contacted believe small class size is the district’s top priority.

When asked if they would renew the existing M&O override, 85 percent responded yes, and the majority said they would approve both the M&O and K-3 overrides if they were on the ballot at the same time.

The results of the survey were shared publicly during a presentation to the Governing Board in December.

As a result of the survey feedback, the board received a recommendation from the administration to strongly consider both elections.

At the its Jan. 14 meeting, the board also heard from several prominent members of the community who made supportive statements about calling for both elections.

The board passed a resolution to call for both override elections, with four voting for and one voting against.

The rationales for passing the resolution were:

By calling for the renewal of the current M&O override this school year, the district would be in a position to call for a second election next school year, if needed, to avoid any loss of funding.

If the district were to wait until next school year and the override did not pass, the district would be required to wait until the following school year to renew the funding.

In that event, the district would lose one third of its funding, approximately $2. 25 million.

With the current state fiscal crisis, there is a chance that state funding may be less than originally expected, and any additional revenue support would be helpful to avoid further staff and program reductions.

The Kyrene School District 2001-2005 Strategic Plan and the Governing Board’s top budget priority to enhance student learning both support the need for additional K-3 funding. Additional funding would support smaller learning communities--something the district has been unable to meet as a result of inadequate funding from the state.

The district has agreed to consult with WestEd, a non-profit research, development and service agency, to facilitate district-wide improvement.

WestEd’s purpose will be to examine and quantify the benefit of specific district programs on student achievement.

The results of this program analysis will help ensure that the district’s limited resources go to the programs that have the most impact on student learning.

As this initiative bares its findings, the K-3 override would provide the district with financial resources to design and offer the very best programming that address students’ identified needs and which result in strategic K-3 improvement.

Although increasing student learning is the district’s primary goal in calling for the election, it was also noted that the more students achieve the more the district will attract prospective homeowners.

As long as the demand for homes within Kyrene’s boundaries continues to increase, property values will also increase and local businesses will prosper.

With the board’s resolution, the renewal of the existing M&O override would not result in a new cost to the taxpayers.

The K-3 override would be new, with a cost of $3 a month to a homeowner with property assessed at $150,000.

As the district moves forward with this endeavor, school personnel will continue to discuss program possibilities with staff and parents.

The district override committee will be expanded to include K-3 teachers. The program analysis efforts being conducted by WestEd will also yield information about how resources should be allocated.

This will be helpful as the district continues its strategic long-term planning. A citizens committee has been formed to help provide specific information to the community about the election and what the money will be used for.

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