Greetings,
After watching the April 1 BOE work session, the public is left with many questions. It is understood that there is to be another BOE work session before the BOE business meeting on April 15. We would appreciate having these questions addressed and answered during that work session or answered in an email prior to the April 15 BOE Business Meeting.
Thank you.
Dottie Gruhler, Chairperson
Rising To Learn, Inc.
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1. Regarding the proposed 1% across-the-board cut to the FY 2026 Budget by some BOE members:
• Please define “across the board” in this context.
• Given that employee salaries and benefits represent the largest portion of the budget, how will these cuts impact staff compensation and benefits?
• Before any programs or positions are reduced or eliminated, what data-driven rationale is being used to justify those decisions?
• How are potential advantages and disadvantages of such cuts being fully assessed and documented before implementation?
2. On the proposed reinstatement of ABLE (cost: $609,455):
• Student enrollment in the elementary ABLE program declined from 161 in 2021 to 58 in 2023. What was the cost per pupil in the elementary ABLE program during the 2023–2024 school year?
• What academic and social outcome data are being used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the K–5 ABLE program prior to its closure?
• Dr. Zentmeyer suggested advertising ABLE starting with homeschoolers. What is the no-cost advertising strategy being proposed to “do more with less”?
• Why is the focus specifically on homeschoolers?
• For transparency, do any current board members have children or grandchildren who are homeschooled?
3. Please explain the concept of “goal-oriented budgeting.”
• How do the board members advocating for this approach see its goals differing from those laid out annually by the superintendent, the full BOE, and in the WCPS Strategic Plan?
4. Budget Reduction Totals:
• What is the total dollar amount being cut from the FY 2026 budget?
• Considering both the 1% across-the-board cut and the reductions included in the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget (adopted as the BOE Draft Budget), what is the total amount being cut from the Board’s adopted FY 2026 Draft Budget?