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Written by Reporter1
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Friday, 03 July 2009 |
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Page 2 of 2
Approximately two dozen people — equally divided between school officials and the members of the community — were on hand for the kick-off meeting. During the evening, Sirk fielded a myriad of questions about the school district that ranged from the just-adopted state budget and its effect on North Adams schools to the possibility of closing an elementary school building sometime in the future.
Sirk started the evening by handing out fact sheets stating the mission, goals and vision of the school district, as well as a breakdown of the district's $13.5 million budget for the current calendar year.
The superintendent also noted that $5,165,000 in federal stimulus dollars have been allocated for Title I programming for a two-year period that will allow the district to hire a literacy coach to assist teachers in grades 3-8 "with new strategies" to assist at-risk students.
Sirk said the two-year state budget approved by the Indiana General Assembly on Tuesday means North Adams will see a reduction in state funding of between $200,00-$300,000 for the 2010 calendar year. He said the declining state dollars are a result of changes in the way schools are funded to accommodate property tax caps put in place by the state.
School districts' general funds are now financed by state sales tax receipts, while capital project, transportation and other school funds rely on local property tax receipts. Sirk said the sluggish economy has resulted in a decline in sales tax receipts, which in turn has meant fewer dollars for school districts.
"As much as we all don't enjoy paying property tax, it's a more predictable (source of revenue) during an economic slowdown," said Sirk.
During the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Sirk was asked if one of the school district's three elementary schools will be closed because of dwindling resources.
"I don't see closing a building this year, but I do see that discussion continuing," the superintendent said. "The critical idea of closing a building isn't as pressing now as we thought it might be, but a lot of ideas need to be discussed and considered. Do we need to look at just one building for all elementary students? I don't know."
Sirk said the closing of one elementary school would not solve all the district's financial woes, because the two remaining elementary buildings could not handle the additional students in their current configurations. But he conceded that with some modifications, "it could be done" if absolutely necessary.
Asked why enrollment at North Adams has been on the decline, Sirk said there are a multitude of reasons.
"In the last 10 years we have over 350 fewer students. Most of the reason is that people are leaving this community because of jobs, and other people are not moving into the community," said Sirk. "I know we have six students who are going to Adams Central next year, but we also have some students from Adams Central — as well as others from Heritage and one family from Concordia —coming to Bellmont next year."
Other questions from the audience revolved around ISTEP test scores and the school's ongoing efforts to boost those scores, requirements for graduation and special progams offered by the district.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 July 2009 )
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