Work is concluding on the District’s Strategic Plan. Members of the committee met for the third and final time on March 13. The Plan will be submitted to the Governing Board for its approval at our regularly scheduled May meeting. Thank you to members of our committee of staff and community members, and especially to Dr. Lee Wille who served as our facilitator for this process.
The District anticipates that state cuts to its 2010-2011 Maintenance and Operations budget will total approximately $1.2 million. That amount will likely double if the referendum on a temporary one cent sales tax increase—Proposition 100—doesn’t pass when it goes before voters on May 18. District staff has begun the process of preparing a list of potential reduction and efficiency measures to prepare for the funding shortfall. This prioritized list will be presented to the Governing Board at a study session scheduled for April 14. No action will be taken at that meeting. Information about Prop 100 may be found on the District’s website.
The District has begun talks with members of the local business community to develop partnerships that will allow the District to take advantage of recent Arizona legislation permitting access to advertising space on school district websites, buses and other property. I hope that this will be the start of mutually beneficial relationships between the District and our local business community, and that they will eventually lead to the development of a Blue Ridge Unified School District educational foundation. Thanks for checking in.

Greg