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Stevens Point P.T.S.A.
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PTSA Referendum Position Statement, 2/99

The Stevens Point Parent Teacher Student Association, which represents parents and students in all schools in the district as well as community members at large, is asking our school board to go to a referendum to decide on two issues:

    1. up-grades and/or additions at all the elementary and secondary buildings and
    2. adequate funding for district operational costs.

Continued cut backs in the district’s operational budget and lack of upgrades to outdated facilities will erode the educational program in this community to such an extent, that a recovery will be almost impossible. Since the state will pay 2/3 of the costs for these needed district improvements, members of the PTSA see this as a window of opportunity for our district to act. Time is an important component for these referendum questions.

PTSA members feel strongly about their position on this matter. Our members plan to work diligently to develop support for our point-of-view from other groups and individuals in our community. We are willing to provide "person-power" to back up any efforts the School Board is willing to make in addressing our concerns about the deteriorating state-of-affairs related to educational funding in the Stevens Point School District. One slogan that has been a rallying cry of the PTA is, "Children First." As we envision the impact that the proposed operational budget reductions will have on children, we are very concerned. Our vision is to have a school district that continues to enhance the quality educational program that has been a traditional strength of our community. We are willing to assist the School Board in helping the public understand the causes of our financial challenges, and more importantly, demonstrate to the public a plan to solve our school funding issues.

Specific Objectives

We intend to work with the school board to ensure that we:

  • Maintain our schools and ensure that they are designed to meet the educational challenges of the 21st century
  • Maintain our rich curriculum providing students classes in the arts, experiential learning opportunities, languages, advanced course work, and a plethora of extracurricular activities
  • Maintain our low student/teacher ratio the school board has worked hard to obtain
  • Provide our excellent teachers with an equitable compensation increase allowable under state policy
  • Provide staff training to ensure our teaching staff keeps pace with the rapidly changing educational profession
  • Provide adequate funding so the educational needs of all ability groups of children are met.
  • Equip our schools with the technology our students need to be fully functioning citizen in today’s society

Passed 2/99

 

 

 

 

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