Survey/Dialogue Session Results

Staff, parents and community members provide input on anticipated need to cut $14 to $18 million from 2012-2013 budget

Adams 12 Five Star Schools anticipates needing to cut between $14 million and $18 million for the 2012-2013 school year. Several factors influence what the final cut will be, including the latest revenue forecasts from the State, the Governor’s budget proposal, action taken by the Legislature, our student enrollment numbers and cost increases for items such as PERA (the retirement system for public employees) and health care.

To learn more about the factors impacting the district's budget, click here.

As was the case for setting the 2011-2012 and 2010-2011 budgets, the Five Star District is using a multi-step public process for gathering input on the community's values and priorities as they relate to budget cuts for 2012-2013.

More than 4,000 members of the Five Star community provided input through an online survey open from Feb. 9 through Feb. 15. Two groups were polled. One group included randomly selected parents from all schools in the district. The other group included staff, parents and concerned community members.

The district then hosted two dialogue sessions concerning the budget on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. The dialogue sessions began with an overview of the factors that impact the district's budget. Then, about 100 participants worked in small groups in which specific budget-related issues were discussed in greater detail.

The superintendent and district leadership will use input from the public engagement process to help inform its decision-making as it relates to the budget for 2012-2013. The superintendent will share his proposed budget plan with the community by mid April.