To address a $1.6 million budget shortfall, Franklin Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steve Patz has made several significant cuts in the district, including cuts in staff. With this in mind, one concerned citizen isn't going to accept these cuts without a fight. This citizen, Wendy Higgins, has launched her own online petition that takes her pleas to the taxpayers of Franklin in an effort to convince FPS to avoid taking drastic cuts.
The petition currently has 60 signatures, and it is unknown at this time if Wendy is collecting signatures directly from residents. An issue I see as a huge hurdle for her to overcome is the fact that taxpayers are (and have the right to be) choosy over what departments and budgetary items should be preserved and maintained and which ones can afford to be cutback for the time being. For example, when residents have approached me to discuss school district-related items it mostly focuses on when an auditorium will be built at the high school. I haven't heard parents express concern or frustration over staff cuts in areas such as guidance other than what has been shown in Wendy's petition.
Bottom line to this is rather simple - if Wendy succeeds in preserving staff slated to be cut this upcoming budget, where will the money be coming from to support it? Will there be a different area or department in the school district that would need to be cut in order to have the current staff complement?
While I support the concept of having guidance counselors in our schools to help our children, I don't feel confident that the 2010-11 school district budget will be modified to be a little more kind to this particular section.
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