The
public is invited to participate in a Town Hall meeting about the
development of the Portland Public Schools’ fiscal year 2016 budget. The
meeting will take place on Thursday, January 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the
Lyman Moore Middle School library.
The Town Hall meeting on the
budget is an opportunity for parents and other community members to give
their input on budgeting priorities for the 2015-2016 school year.
The
Portland Public Schools also has created an online Neighbor-to-Neighbor
Budget Toolkit to encourage public participation in the development of
the FY16 school budget.
This online tool can be used by groups of
neighbors, parents, co-workers, friends, family members and other
community residents as an easy way to participate in the budget process.
Individuals also can use the Budget Toolkit.
Portland Public
Schools Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk urged parents and other community
members to participate in both of these budget forums.
“One of my
core beliefs is that it takes an entire community to ensure the success
of our public schools,” Caulk said. “Building a budget is a community
enterprise that reflects our community’s values and our support for
public education. One of the most important investments a community can
make is in the future of its children. You also invest in the future of
this city by investing in our children. Our city deserves a world-class
system of great schools.”
The Town Hall meeting on the FY16
budget will begin with the superintendent giving a brief overview of the
district’s overarching goals. Following that introduction, there will
be two breakout sessions focused on the district’s top priorities for
the coming year: strengthening the core academic program, stimulating
progress for all learners, driving innovation and investing in
infrastructure. Participants may give input on the topic of their choice
at each breakout session. Each session will last for about a half-hour.
The Budget Toolkit can be reached through this link – /cms/One.aspx?portalId=1094237&pageId=7045466– or can be found on the homepage of the PPS website, www.portlandschools.org.
The
toolkit includes a brief introductory video by the superintendent that
explains the budgeting process; a budget timeline; frequently asked
questions; and charts showing the district’s major revenue sources and
major expense categories. The toolkit also has suggested discussion
questions related to the budget and an email address (superintendent@portlandschools.org) for submitting notes from a group’s budget discussions.
“Our
goal is to become the best small urban school district in the country
by 2017,” Caulk said. “I encourage community residents to join us in the
development of the FY 2016 budget as we work toward meeting that goal.”
Portland Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk gives a budgeting process
overview in a video that is part of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Budget Toolkit.