Dear Walnut Canyon Parents,
I recently wrote a letter to our teachers and staff paraphrasing the saying, “It’s the best of times. It’s the worst of times”. This means that Walnut Canyon is very fortunate to have the Magnet Schools of America grant during this very serious budget crisis in our state. Since the passage of Proposition 13, which changed the way schools are financed, our schools are dependent on allocations of general fund and categorical money from the state of California. When the budget of the state is healthy, schools benefit. If the economic environment of the state is bleak, funds for the operations of schools is negatively effected. Moorpark Unified School District is anticipating having to cut up to 3.5 million dollars from out budget next year with the possibility of mid year cuts this year. This will impact all of the schools in our district.
The magnet grant budget is very specific about how the money can be spent. It cannot be used to supplant other programs. In other words we can’t use MSAP money to pay to cover other funding cuts. We will be able to continue to implement the goals of the grant and make purchases for the school that are defined in the grant.
The district administrators are committed to maintaining the core programs and staffing at our schools. However, many areas of our school budgets will experience deep cuts in funding which will result in fewer resources at our school sites. Parents often ask how they can help. There are many things you can do. First of all, stay informed about what is happening in Sacramento that effects education. Stay involved and help in any way you can at school. We have a very dedicated PTA board that can really use your help even if it’s for one special event during the year. Volunteers are always needed to help with Reading Night, Family Fun Nights, End of the Year events, etc. In addition, if you work for a company or business that can donate recycled or Xerox paper to classrooms, teachers can certainly use paper.
I found a quotation by Henry J Kaiser, “Problems are only opportunities in work clothes”. We are asking our teachers, staff, and administrators to put on an additional layer of those work clothes to get through these tough budget times. All of the principals, district administrators, teachers and staff members are working together to develop plans to maintain quality instruction while anticipating a rough financial year ahead for education and other state agencies. “This too shall pass”!
Sincerely,
Jeanne Ricci
Principal