North Central Area Schools

Newsletter

 

We Have a Challenge

 

Today is a bit of a downer for me as Principal of North Central Jr/Sr High School.  It is a rare day for me to feel this way and it is not because of the students or staff, both of which make it a pleasure to come to school each day, but rather it is the news out of Lansing that is frustrating. Today I was informed we will receive $218 per student less than we received last year. This will hurt our school.

We as a District have been very frugal with our resources. The Board of Education and the previous administration were careful in where and how they allocated funds; providing programming yet cautious of the fluff. They need to be commended for their efforts. Many Districts in the State were not so forward thinking, and now face large shortfall in resources.

The conundrum we find ourselves in now is, even though we were and are cost conscious, we are now asked to provide an education for our children with less funding at a time when the State of Michigan is mandating we provide more programming. What the State is mandating is increased graduation requirements beginning with our junior class, yet we receive less funding to meet the challenge. This is like adding more cows to the herd but having less money to feed them! I’m not saying the mandates are bad, in fact I believe we need to increase the rigor of our curriculum in order to be competitive with students from around the country and world. However, with the news of today, we have a challenge before us.

It is no secret that the economy has caused hardships for many in our State. This is not news to many in our community.  However, we need to think of the future of our children and put our heads together to come up with solutions that keep us educationally competitive and provide our students with the best opportunities possible.

Let’s talk.

And Yes, It is a Great Day to be a Jet!!

Jeff Brockport, Principal