Subject: Advocacy Help Needed PTA Presidents, Representatives and Leaders - please forward the letter below to your members and anyone else you know who has a vested interest in our schools. Your help is needed to pass this message along - lets give our parents an opportunity to learn about the issue and use their voice to support our children! Dear Families of Chesterfield County Public Schools: Some of you may have heard that the 2014-2015 CCPS Operating Budget has been released, that cuts are proposed and there is a significant gap to balance the CCPS budget. Important core elements of public education are at risk in the coming year. Without an increase in Chesterfield County tax rates, there may be considerable reductions or complete elimination of programs and services. Our public schools are being starved. Chesterfield County Public Schools’ operating budget was slashed more than 10 percent during the last five years. CCPS has been forced to eliminate teachers, support staff, administrators, an entire administrative department and utility costs. Our public education system has been cut to the bone; so much that only eight of Virginia’s 132 school divisions pay LESS to educate a child than Chesterfield County does. Some wear that as a badge of honor. Others think CCPS is cheap! A strong public school system keeps our community safe, provides upstanding and productive citizens and attracts new businesses. We cannot get there with 32 or more students in a class. We cannot get there without adequately compensated, award-winning teachers armed with the tools to succeed. We cannot get there without maintaining and updating our aging schools. The operating budget proposed by Chesterfield County Public Schools requires additional revenue from county taxpayers. It is time for our county government to step up and invest in our future. Join the conversation and voice your opinion: * Email your county supervisors (copy your school board members) and tell them you want more money for public education; Bermuda District: Dorothy Jaeckle, [email protected] Carrie Coyner, [email protected] Dale District: Jim Holland, [email protected] David Wyman, [email protected] Clover Hill District: Art Warren, [email protected] Dianne Smith, [email protected] Matoaca District: Steve Elswick, [email protected] Tom Doland, [email protected] Midlothian District: Daniel Gecker, [email protected] Dr. Jim Schroeder, [email protected] * Write a letter to the editor of any local paper to express your desire to fully fund the school division’s budget; * Speak at the school board’s public hearing on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and tell them you are willing to advocate for Chesterfield County to fully fund the school division’s budget. (You can register to make public comment by contacting Carol Timpano at 804.748.1405 or [email protected].); and * Forward this message to everyone you know! You will find a summary of the budget presentation on the Chesterfield County Public Schools Homepage. Our students’ futures are in our hands. Our futures are in our students’ hands. Make your voice heard! Chesterfield County Council of PTAs Amy Harbert President Chesterfield County Council of PTAs (H) 706-5829 (C) 647-6247
Posted on: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:18:01 +0000
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