JEFFERSONACADEMY
JA BOARD ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY PARENTS THROUGH PTO
Pledge Drive Related Questions
Could an anonymous “Survey Monkey” (free service) be done to quickly gather information for the Board as to what funds people are willing to donate this school year? ($100, $200, $300, monthly, one-time donation, etc.) This would give you a much quicker view as to what the monies the Board is looking at before your November meeting where you need to start analyzing cuts.
Answer: A Survey Monkey could be done – but this is not necessarily quicker than asking parents for their pledges (not full payments) as soon as possible, and requires yet one more step for parents to take. This will not speed up the process or give the Board a clearer picture of expected donations.
If the school closes, will we get our donations back?
Answer: The school is not remotely near closing. Once your donations are made, they will not be refunded.
Am I throwing good money after bad if I donate now?
Answer: Again, the school is not on the verge of closing. The school is experiencing a financial crunch, brought on by legislative cutbacks. All schools, not just charter schools, and school districts are being forced to make budget cuts. It is not a waste of money if your donation is made, it will help prevent cuts to the educational programs at JeffersonAcademy. If this is important to you, please make a donation.
Are you (JA Board) going to be transparent about what you intend to do with the funds you raise from the pledge drive?
Answer: The Board and administration intend to be completely transparent with what will be done with donated funds. The school budgets are reviewed at every JA Board meeting which is and always has been open to the public. Aside from privacy limitations relating to individual personnel and students that require these topics to be in executive session, all discussions relating to budget matters will be held in open meetings. Periodic report s of where we are on the pledge drive and what is being done with the money will be made to the community. A report on funds should be provided next week.
Do we get to make sure that the funds we pledge go to the Elementary or Secondary? We want to choose!
Answer: At this time the Board has made the determination that all donated funds will be shared between the Elementary and Secondary, based upon their percentage of the total school budget. At times, there may be special circumstances requiring higher expenditures for a particular school. For example, all fire extinguishers require replacement due to age. Those will be replaced as they are a safety requirement and not subject to a percentage of funds needed.
Many Elementary parents are hesitant to give to the general fund because it is believed thathistorically Elementary parents give and fundraise much more heavily than the High School.
Answer: The elementary PTO, as a fundraising organization typically raises $17,000-$25,000 per year, most of which is donated to the elementary school for teacher classrooms and other needs. The Boosters, at the secondary, has a different function and focus. They do fundraising – but primarily this supports and fosters (1) individual student to meeting expenses for sports, school trips, etc., and (2) for social events for students and the community such as prom, after prom, staff appreciation and family nights. So it is a mischaracterization to state that the elementary fundraises more heavily.
Other donations made to each school vary from year to year, and are often restricted based on the donor’s intent, for example – for new computers or for basketball uniforms. Grant writing is done by staff in both schools for particular needs or grants they may become aware of, and as a committee the Grant Writing Committee looks for opportunities school wide to address needs identified by staff and principals.
When you look at pure numbers there is not a high matriculation of “K-6” that actually graduate from JA. Why should we give to a general fund that will benefit/be shared with the Secondary, if they don’t want to help themselves?
Answer: To state that there is not a high number of K-6 that actually graduate from JA, is somewhat of a misnomer or “spin” factor, if you will. The junior high and high school each enroll more students than simply JA elementary students; many new students do come in at each of these levels. For example, there are approximately 85-90 7th graders each year, and an average of about of the 48 of the 56graduating 6th graders make up that class, and we have an average of 95 freshmen, and about 62 of 75 8th graders take those spots. So the attrition percentages across the programs are not high.The mere fact that a student does not stay at the same school for 13 years (which happens for more reasons than can be detailed or counted), does not mean that there is not benefit to the separate portions of the program or that each is not separately worthwhile. What we are about at JA is achievement, character, and culture. That is why JA exists, to provide a quality education at every level K-12. Moreover, every parent at JA can and should make a decision at every level of education what is the best choice and option for their individual child – that is the fundamental concept of choice in education – and of a charter school.
How are donations distributed? It appears that the Board decides. However, if a part of JA needs to “suffer,” I absolutely DO NOT want it to be the elementary. So, why should I not write my check to JA-PTO instead of the JA General Fund?
Answer: The Board and administration will jointly decide how donations are distributed and used. The organization is a K-12 community, and to the extent budget and staff cuts are necessary they will be made at both schoolsbased on the respective school’s programs and budgets; and specifically, each will reduce expenditures based on the percentage cut mandated by the State. However, such cuts may not look identical in each program, as each principal recommends cuts to the Board for final approval. The Board understands your concern. Students of Board Members span both schools at JA and thus ensures funds will be distributed fairly and equitably.
On-going Financial Questions
Are we looking to increase the reserve accounts for future rescissions?
Answer: JA has always been very fiscally conservative, spending only approximately 6% of its budget on facilities (where many schools spend between 18-20%). We have historically built our reserves a small amount each year. However, the economy has been bad for approximately the last three years and funding has been cut by the state each year or not increased. This is not the first rescission JA has had to weather, and reserves had had to be used previously for the same, rather than cutting program at that time. In budgeting for next year, we will look to additional estimated state funding reductions which have been estimated anywhere from 4% to 10%. As we are able and begin building additional sources of revenue we will begin adding to reserves for use in future years for other rescissions or unanticipated matters. These reserve accounts have restrictions on how and when funds may be used. The majority of these funds are committed per legal or contractual requirements, such as Tabor reserves. The actual 'free cash' available to spend is very low and thus the need for donations to bolster its level. JA will continue looking for other revenue sources to bolster both revenue and reserves.
What are we doing now to plan for future losses?
Answer: Please see answer above. Additionally, JA is in the process of establishing a foundation to seek more outside funding sources, has developed a grant-writing committee, and plans to seek opportunities to pursue corporate relationships or partnerships.
Why wasn’t there any concern about the budget from the Board in the past and more OVERSIGHT to prevent this shortfall? Will there be more transparent oversight going forward?
Answer: There has always been a great deal of attentiveness to the budget by the Board. We review and approve the proposed budget prepared by each principal every year, and we review it monthly in detail. We also keep apprised of our reserves and what is happening in the legislature to plan for the next year. The last few years have been difficult at the state, and we have actually had many discussions about how we save money in our budget, whether to use reserves or cut program. These are part of our regular board discussions held at regularly scheduled open meetings. There is full transparency and you are welcome to attend these meetings and hear the discussions. The Board has always been transparent and plans to continue to be so. We are also, in compliance with law, posting our financials through the Jeffco website.
I think that the consensus is that we do not want to compromise the integrity of the JA Elementary for which the Secondary was based on. The rumor is that the Secondary is/has drained much of JA’s funds and this could jeopardize the entire school. Would there ever be a chance that we let Secondary (unclear as to which parts – 7-8 and/or 9-12) dissolve and focus just on Elementary as our one and only school?
Answer: It is just that, a rumor. JA’s board many years ago determined it wanted a junior high and a high school. During the first few years, before the high school was fully enrolled, it lost money. However, that was many years ago, and the junior high and high school have been self-sustaining for several years. As indicated in prior presentations, we require each school to prepare a budget where they break even. All of the JA programs are successful in their own right, and the JA board does not have any plans to discontinue any portion of the secondary program.
The cost of printing CSAP is in the billions; why are we not approaching the state for not have this cost? Maybe this would help offset the state rescissions affecting us?
Answer: CSAP is a cost paid for by the state and the respective shares for that are passed on to each respective school district and school. CSAP testing is required by federal and state law.
Title 1 Schools get more funding – how do we qualify?
Answer: Title 1 funds are made available to schools based upon a determination of students that are seen as “at risk.” This is generally measured by the number of students enrolled that qualify for “free and reduced lunch.” There is a threshold percentage of students required to qualify for these funds. JA does not meet that percentage based on the demographics of the JA student population.
General Questions/Comments Related to Reductions/Cuts to Funding and Programs
If/when we do need to make cuts, what would be the first, second, third, etc. (TAs, Specials teachers, etc)? When would these cuts take place (January, next September)? We (the teachers) would like to know well in advance so that we can make the necessary adjustments.
Answer: Those items that can be cut that are not programs will be addressed first (for example supplies and staff development). The before making programmatic cuts, reductions would be addressed in part by a shared sacrifice, for example salary freezes, or even small reductions to all staff at every level and/or furlough days. Then,if necessary, cuts will be made to portions of the program that are not “core.” “Core” means, in the elementary and junior high - Core Knowledge requirements, and in the high school – graduation requirement programs or courses. All attempts will be made to have wholesale cuts of portions of the program, and if possible items may be reduced in the number of hours provided, first. The Board and administration will be discussing these items in November and December at open meetings. Some cuts may be implemented in January for this year’s anticipated rescission, and additional cuts may need to be made depending on monies budgeted by the legislature for the next school year.
Will teachers get input into whether they would rather lose assistants or specials?
Answer: Building leadership, which includes various staff members,will be consulted by the administrators regarding proposals for reductions before proposals are made to the Board.
Post the presentation by Mrs. Stringari, many teachers are worried about their jobs. Some very pointed comments were made regarding the Elementary School’s need to cut budget and that our teacher’s have “been here a long time, have Masters, are paid a lot compared to the HS, and cost the school a lot of money”. Aren’t some of these qualities – been here a long time, have their masters, etc. things that we value and don’t want to lose?
Answer: Mrs. Stringari was not implying these are bad things; on the contrary she was attempting to explain what our significant costs are, and why they are different at the elementary and the secondary. We do value both experience and longevity at the school very much.
Couldn’t the Board create a survey for the parents about the potential program/staff cuts to at least make the parents feel heard?
Answer: These decisions must be made fairly rapidly. Parents are welcome to attend and sign up for public comment should they wish to speak, at the open Board meetings where these matters will be discussed. However, due to personnel privacy issues some items regarding specific personnel are held in executive session before decisions are made in public.
Are you considering cutting a secondary admin job? There seem to be a lot of people and no communication!
Answer: If necessary, administrative staff cuts at the secondary will be considered. Administrative and personnel cuts were already made in the secondary at the beginning of this school year, such as combining the athletic directors and assistant principal position, and reducing staff classes that were taught in certain areas. Again, at each school the JA Board relies upon the administrator recommendations for where cuts are to be made in order to best protect the program.
Can teachers post a wish list for classroom needs?
Answer: Yes, absolutely teachers may post wish/needs lists. Possibly this can be coordinated through administration in each building.
Would we cut Enrichment? Please don’t – this is directly related to ACADEMIC performance. We take care of the needs of our lower functioning children; we need to also take care of the needs of our high functioning kids. They deserve attention too so as to not “lose them” from boredom, creating a lack of interest in learning, creating behavior problems, etc.
Answer: As a public school JA is required to serve the needs of all students, including high end and low end needs students. Accordingly, JA will not eliminate enrichment. It may look differently,however, because, as required by RTI in federal law, JA is looking at a more inclusionary model for serving students of all ranges.
Ideas/Questions regarding Raising Funds and/or Maintaining our Culture
Why don’t we instate parent contracts and minimum volunteer hours? Attending JA is a privilege and well worth it!
Answer: We can institute parent contracts for volunteer hours but they are not enforceable. We have considered it. We welcome your efforts to ask parents to provide increased support for JA in time, talent, and monetary resources.
Although SCRIP is only a small part of the solution…..Advertise SCRIP better in the Secondary!! As a 7th grade parent (and also an elementary parent) there is very little “push” in the secondary when compared to the Elementary. I really think that people don’t understand it. You need to say more than, “Do SCRIP” – explain it in detail and give examples. (If you buy “x” amount, you will make “Y” amt for the school.) It was briefly mentioned at the Secondary Back to School night, but I haven’t seen ANY emails or flyers about it since, let alone one-on-one “sales/encouragement”.
Answer: E-messengers advertising the program have been sent, and order forms are available in the office.
Advertise SCRIP to outside family (grandparents, etc.)
Answer: Secondary is advertising scrip by e-messenger and forms are in the office. Advertising to grandparents etc, is the job of involved parents. JA cannot incur additional costs for this.
Would the Board consider (or are you allowed to consider) asking parents to either pledge a certain dollar amount to the school annually, or pledge to purchase a SCRIP equivalent with a portion of the proceeds to be set aside into our reserve account?
Answer: The Board can certainly ask parents to pledge a minimum amount each year. However, because we are a public school, we cannot require it as a condition of enrollment at JA.