Work Session February 8. Statement.

Marietta City Schools Work Session February 8, 2008.
Opening remarks, Jack Moberg

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this work session and thank you for your attendance and interest in the future of your Marietta City Schools. Permit me to clarify that this is a work session, and as such we have no formal item on our agenda for public input. We may, however, call on some of you for information where we find ourselves in need of such. I would not discourage you from letting us know if you have vital information. We are not here to engage in debate, but to make the best decisions possible in light of the financial situation in which we find ourselves. Trust me, none of us wants to be in this situation. We have been entrusted by the public to be responsible with the funds they have voted to us to operate the schools - and we intend to honor that trust.
Let me begin by clarifying what may be a misperception concerning some of our local issues. While tax abatements and tax exemptions are a component in the financial challenges facing any tax funded organization, Marietta Memorial Hospital is in no way responsible for our current shortcomings. I feel I need to make this clear up front because the million dollar shortfall we are dealing with was in our projections last spring, long before Memorial even began to process the paperwork on their new facility. We in no way blame them or hold them responsible for the decisions we must make here today. The process that exempts their property is by statute and not done locally.
Further, let me assure you that neither Marietta Memorial nor any specific board member here is responsible for the hour of this meeting. We recognize the urgency needed by the schools in making plans and schedules for next year and this hour, this day, was the first time that fit everyone’s schedule. I will do my best to make sure that any future meetings needed on this subject are held at a time more convenient to me, if no one else.
Going back just a moment to issues driving the shortfall, they include abatements and exemptions, of course. And those have been ongoing for some time and are likely to continue. Other issues are the ever rising costs of virtually everything needed to run the schools. From utilities to supplies to insurance to wages and benefits, they all play a debilitating role when combined with decreasing enrollment and state funding that has 4 times been declared unconstitutional while our legislature refuses to change it.
Some of you may have read the information piece we submitted to the local print media dealing with the specifics of our situation. If not, you will shortly be able to read it on a blog we intend to create for just such communication purposes. There are a host of other items we wish to explain and we intend to share with you, perhaps more than you care to know. Or ever knew existed. We believe in communication. The more the better. And the more you know, the better able you will be to help your schools thrive and prosper into the future while offering a world class education. But first, we need to take two steps back, regroup and insure our survival in the short term.
Next, we need a plan. A vision. And a plan to make that vision an attainable reality. We need input and support from our entire community, especially our educational leaders. Only a shared vision will insure our success.
We have watched with great expectation the creation and operation of the Professional Learning Community process and seek to communicate through those PLCs and obtain input from every staff member who has something to offer. The PLCs can move us ahead in a way that parallels the efficiency of well run businesses and brings new ideas and processes to our system.
That said, I offer the second apology before we begin. It would have been far better to arrive at the needed savings to overcome our budget deficit as a group process some time ago. That did not happen. The PLCs were not ready, we were not ready, and time marched on without that happening. At this juncture it is too late for a drawn out process. We must act promptly and wisely. We must be prepared to admit that what we craft may not be perfect, but it will permit us some breathing room where we can make choices that will lead us to the vision we have yet to create. Job one is survival. Job next is creating the vision, and that can come through the PLCs. And our community.
One more acknowledgement must be made and that is to the voters who approved the levies last spring. By a resounding margin. Thank you! Your faith and trust did not go unnoticed.
Why, you may ask, with those levies approved, are we in financial difficulties so soon? And it’s a fair question.
We asked for approval of the same amount of money we had been getting. That money was due to expire and we asked you to continue to trust us to use the money wisely. And we intend to.
You might well imagine our plight had you not agreed to the same funds continuing. You have only to look at other districts to see what happens when funds come up short.
We chose not to ask for additional funds beyond those expiring. No new taxes basically. And you approved. It is now up to us to find savings in our system, operate within those savings and see how we do. After that, you get to decide how well we did and what needs to happen next.
We hope you will agree that seeking savings was a better move than asking for more money and perhaps losing what we already had. Operating with less. You did your part. Now comes our part.
We will, as promised, Preserve the Progress. We’re proud of the academic advances made the past two plus years. Highest ratings ever achieved by this district. Thank you teachers and staff . And thanks to our support staff as well. A team effort.
We will maintain your buildings and make needed repairs. And we will continue to offer a top quality education of which you can be proud. One that prepares your students to meet life head on. And yes, we will challenge your students to achieve more because life will continue to ask more of them.
The clarion call at the national level is for change. And it is change that will lead us forward. Students, finances, life and the world all demand of us change. We will answer the call.