Education funding in Colorado is a complicated world.
It is a place where imposed funding limits collide with school needs and/or wants.
In Moffat County, this complicated world comes down to this simple statement: We have problems.
Well-intended amendments have cut, overlapped, created loopholes and complicated school funding, bringing the Moffat County School District's future to a crossroads.
Currently, we are in a wait-and-see mode.
We are waiting to see if the Board of Education decides 2 percent in cuts need to be made and what that would entail.
Waiting to see if the state Legislature will reform a funding formula that took MCSD from one of the top-funded districts in the state in the early 1990s to the lowest funded in the state per pupil this year.
Waiting to see how the financial puzzle will be pieced together during the next couple of years, and waiting to see the future impacts of our decisions today.
And we can't afford to wait.
On Thursday, the School Board discussed options of how to keep its budget on target. Problems the district faces include, but are not limited to:
At least for next year.
But that leaves very little, if any, room for emergencies the district might face, notably capital improvement issues, which warrant another editorial altogether.
After meeting with school district officials, the editorial board has come to this simple truth: With the current system, the school district either makes cuts today or makes cuts tomorrow.
What does that mean to you? With 86 percent of the budget tied up in personnel, it could mean fewer teachers, electives and extracurricular activities as well as bigger class sizes.
Thus, the vicious cycle begins.
People moving to the area compare schools in Moffat and Routt counties. If nothing changes, what will they see? One district offering more electives, teachers and extracurricular opportunities as well as smaller class sizes and better test results.
Which district would you choose for your child?
If more people do move to Routt County, Moffat County school funding decreases even more because of declining enrollment; therefore, more cuts need to made. Then, the cycle repeats.
Despite how complicated it sounds to unravel a legislative mess that has tied up the district, there is one simple solution.
You.
You need to get involved.
You need to educate yourself on the situation. Attend the School Board's community meetings, and make your voice heard at the April 26 meeting.
With the current set up, the editorial board cannot see how the School Board solves the issue without going for another levy. That may not be a bad thing. We cannot wait for the state to give us money to fund our children's education or wait for the state to unravel a mess that, frankly, may never be resolved.
We have to do it.
Whether that is through a levy, cutting classes or finding another alternative, you need to have a voice in this.
You need to contact your legislators. State Rep. Al White should be credited for the job he has done pushing for school funding reform, and the school district is doing what it can to help. But more legislators need to be made aware, and you can do that either through writing letters or making phone calls.
The long-term solution is curing the disease of an unfair system, and only changing legislation can do that. That's why you need to contact state representatives.
But we still have to address the symptoms until a cure is found. That is why you need to make your voice heard and offer solutions to the immediate problems.
If we do nothing, our education system -- our kids -- will simply be on life support, as the rest of the world passes us by.
It is a place where imposed funding limits collide with school needs and/or wants.
In Moffat County, this complicated world comes down to this simple statement: We have problems.
Well-intended amendments have cut, overlapped, created loopholes and complicated school funding, bringing the Moffat County School District's future to a crossroads.
Currently, we are in a wait-and-see mode.
We are waiting to see if the Board of Education decides 2 percent in cuts need to be made and what that would entail.
Waiting to see if the state Legislature will reform a funding formula that took MCSD from one of the top-funded districts in the state in the early 1990s to the lowest funded in the state per pupil this year.
Waiting to see how the financial puzzle will be pieced together during the next couple of years, and waiting to see the future impacts of our decisions today.
And we can't afford to wait.
On Thursday, the School Board discussed options of how to keep its budget on target. Problems the district faces include, but are not limited to:
- The cost of operating district schools is going up, but the rate of funding is not increasing at the same pace
- A big portion of funding comes from student enrollment, and Craig's enrollment level is declining
- The money the school district has saved through an override levy is dwindling to a critical level.
At least for next year.
But that leaves very little, if any, room for emergencies the district might face, notably capital improvement issues, which warrant another editorial altogether.
After meeting with school district officials, the editorial board has come to this simple truth: With the current system, the school district either makes cuts today or makes cuts tomorrow.
What does that mean to you? With 86 percent of the budget tied up in personnel, it could mean fewer teachers, electives and extracurricular activities as well as bigger class sizes.
Thus, the vicious cycle begins.
People moving to the area compare schools in Moffat and Routt counties. If nothing changes, what will they see? One district offering more electives, teachers and extracurricular opportunities as well as smaller class sizes and better test results.
Which district would you choose for your child?
If more people do move to Routt County, Moffat County school funding decreases even more because of declining enrollment; therefore, more cuts need to made. Then, the cycle repeats.
Despite how complicated it sounds to unravel a legislative mess that has tied up the district, there is one simple solution.
You.
You need to get involved.
You need to educate yourself on the situation. Attend the School Board's community meetings, and make your voice heard at the April 26 meeting.
With the current set up, the editorial board cannot see how the School Board solves the issue without going for another levy. That may not be a bad thing. We cannot wait for the state to give us money to fund our children's education or wait for the state to unravel a mess that, frankly, may never be resolved.
We have to do it.
Whether that is through a levy, cutting classes or finding another alternative, you need to have a voice in this.
You need to contact your legislators. State Rep. Al White should be credited for the job he has done pushing for school funding reform, and the school district is doing what it can to help. But more legislators need to be made aware, and you can do that either through writing letters or making phone calls.
The long-term solution is curing the disease of an unfair system, and only changing legislation can do that. That's why you need to contact state representatives.
But we still have to address the symptoms until a cure is found. That is why you need to make your voice heard and offer solutions to the immediate problems.
If we do nothing, our education system -- our kids -- will simply be on life support, as the rest of the world passes us by.
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