Community input needed for Lopez school budget

On Sat. March 20 there will be a public forum held by the school board to discuss possible cuts to the school budget. The meeting will be held in the School Library from 10 a.m. to noon. Superintendent Dr Linda Martin said: “its purpose is to get input about possible budget cuts...we feel really stongly that we need to hear from the community.”

The event is the product of a longer, two-part process of budget reviews conducted by members of the public and school employees.

The first stage involved 27 people reviewing the General budget and attempting to identify areas that could withstand budget cuts. This first group was made up of a broad selection of people, from school staff members to parents. However the second stage group was split into two, with one half constituted by school cabinet members and the other half, school staff and community members.

This group was charged with taking the work of the first and making priorities. These priorities went into a final list of suggested areas of cuts. It is upon this list that the public forum will be based, with the community encouraged to peruse it, and offer suggestions or additions. “At this point it is all hypothetical as we don’t know about the state budget” said Martin, adding that if people want to examine the list before the meeting, they should contact her at lmartin@lopez.k12.wa.us or by phone 468 2202.