“I have already been in contact with teachers and administrators at Bigfork School,” said District 318 Superintendent Joe Silko. “We have discussed some of the possible ways the proposed operating levy will bring positive impact to the school, which are somewhat different from the benefits to Grand Rapids schools.”

Currently, Bigfork School is sharing teacher time between the sixth grade and the high school. High school teachers deliver afternoon instructional time. If the referendum passes, operating levy money will be used to hire an additional half-time sixth grade teacher. This will free up the high school instructors’ time to add additional elective classes. Above and beyond this, there is additional teaching time for electives also proposed.

Bigfork School, like Grand Rapids elementary schools, added All Day/Every Day Kindergarten this fall. The addition of AD/ED is being funded by reimbursement for special education services, which came from the state during the last Legislative session.

District 318 Administration and the School Board are committed to this program because of the well-documented connection between early childhood education opportunity and student achievement. But, without the funding from the referendum, AD/ED and all other programming is at risk.

“The school board did not opt to move forward with All Day/Every Day until they were certain the funding stream would be steady,” said Silko. “But, after years of funding failing to meet educational costs, we can’t guarantee that any program or curricular offering will be unaffected by reductions. ”

Since the 2000-2001 school year, the School Board has cut $7 million from its operating budget and a total of 57 teaching positions have been lost. Funds from the proposed levy will help restore some of what has been lost. An operating levy also is needed to prevent further budget cuts that have occurred due to a combination of declining enrollment and years of low or even zero percent increases in education funding from the state. In the 2008-2009 school year, school districts will receive a 1.2 percent increase in funding. The July 2007 Consumer Price Index of 2.4 percent means inflation is likely to rise more than next year’s funding increase.

ISD 318 is seeking a $1.3 million annual levy for a 10-year period. Voters in a Nov. 6 special election will decide the proposed operating levy ballot question. The levy, if approved, would infuse $295 per pupil unit into local schools. The levy costs to taxpayers is $52 per $100,000 of property valuation. Operating levy funds cannot be used for building or construction projects. For more information visit: www.isd318.org.