Staying on Message
If you are like most school districts in California, you issued March 15th 2009 layoff intent notices to your certificated staff. Along with that action, we implicitly or explicitly began to deliver a message to our community about the dire fiscal situation facing our schools. In the coming months we will be faced with additional actions that will continue to communicate a message to our community. Given the uncertain economic times, careful consideration should be taken as plan our actions in the coming months.
May 15th Action
By May 15th, each school board needs to decide whether to rescind the March 15th notices or proceed to issue final layoff notices. In addition, your Board maybe deciding on whether to issue layoff intent notices to your classified staff in May. Here are a few questions to consider:
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Are the actions being taken for May 15th notices consistent with the message delivered in March?
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What additional communications are needed to clarify our actions for May 15 notices, given the uncertainty regarding the May 19th Special Election results?
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What communications regarding the Federal Stimulus monies are we prepared to make?
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Are we taking steps to communicate our message to students, parents, employees, the press and community?
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What is our longer term message (2009 through 2011) regarding our district’s fiscal situation?
June 30th Action
By June 30th, we need to pass our 2009/10 budget along a multi-year projections through 2012. The outcome of the May 19th Special Election and disbursement of Federal Stimulus monies will make it a challenge for staff to prepare the budget. Once again the questions above need to be considered to insure your message is consistent.
Two Way Dialogue
Finally, as we deliver our message regarding our district’s fiscal situation, I would encourage each school district to solicit feedback from your stakeholders. The coming years will be extremely difficult, so building a two way dialogue between the board and the community will foster trust as we face the upcoming challenges.
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