Technology future hanging on override

Editor’s note: Dr. David Schauer, superintendent of the Kyrene School District, reflected on the outcome of the recent election and how the results will affect the operation of Kyrene schools in the coming months.

- Advertisement -

By David K. Schauer

We are most grateful for the ongoing support of the Kyrene School community for the many programs and services provided by the school district. The excellence and high performance that we are known for is what the community expects and, in fact, many parents move here specifically for that reason.

Leading up to the election, we asked our community to approve two ballot initiatives, and there was a split in the results.

The bond authorization was overwhelmingly approved by the voters and generally will pay for improvement of facilities and replacement of school buses as outlined in the Capital Improvement Plan that is available on the Kyrene website.

This is critical because of the scarcity of state funding for these purposes and ensures that the health and safety of students will not be compromised.

The capital override initiative was narrowly defeated. The law requires the standard ballot language to state, “The District seeks authority to exceed the Capital Outlay Revenue Limit,” which may cause voters to mistakenly perceive that the District would be spending more money than it currently budgets.

It actually means that the District would be allowed to continue (not increase) levying funds from the community as the primary funding source for the technological tools used in the District.

Kyrene has received national recognition and an award for how technology is used in our classrooms, as it is integrated into instruction, with teachers and students using it as another tool for teaching and learning.  Thoughtful decisions are made about the purchase of any technology to ensure that it fits with the District’s Vision and Mission.

We will ask the voters to consider the capital override initiative again in a November 2011 election. Prior to that we plan to clearly communicate what the funding is for and will provide opportunities for the public to understand how important it is.

For example, earlier this month our Parent Superintendent Council walked through classrooms and observed teaching with technology in action.

Our community needs to understand how technology positively impacts individual students in our classrooms and that the override will not cause an increase in taxes. Without this additional funding source the current technology initiatives in our schools will cease to exist.

Most of all, I want the community to know that we do not take their support for granted and we will work hard to earn and maintain the trust and respect that are so important in building the strongest educational community possible.

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Advertisment

Latest e-Edition

Advertisment
Advertisment

Follow Us

2,648FansLike
953FollowersFollow

Weekly Email Newsletter

Latest

Join Our Family...

Wrangler Newsletter

One email

Once a week

Unsubscribe anytime

Welcome to The Wrangler Community!