Public Hearing, Education Budget, County Council

May 1, 2010

Ms. Watson and Council Members,

I am testifying on behalf of the Atholton High School Parent Teacher Student Association Executive Board (AHS PTSA) to express our support of the County Executive’s Board of Education Budget for FY 2011.  We applaud the considerable evaluation and planning evident in this budget.  The proposed budget clearly reflects the priorities of continuing programs and initiatives which support the success of each student while recognizing the extreme fiscal challenges facing our county and state. 

The Atholton HS PTSA supports the reallocation of funding, as well as the purposeful reduction of expenses to accommodate growth in critical need areas.  Careful review of unfilled positions, and reductions in utility costs by participation in the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing consortium, and deferral of vehicle replacement are all prudent measures.

The Atholton HS PTSA is very appreciative that the FY11 Capital Budget includes funding for needs at Atholton HS.  Atholton is grateful that you have demonstrated a deep understanding of the importance of addressing major renovation maintenance needs at aging facilities, while still expanding capacity where needed. The AHS PTSA implores that planning funds remain allocated in FY11 to keep the major renovation of Atholton HS on schedule. 

We thank you very much for recognizing the need for a new roof at Atholton HS and that phase 3 of the roof replacement remains in the FY11 Capital Budget proposal.  A protective roof is one of the best investments which could be made to ensure the building contents below are not damaged by water.

Atholton HS appreciates the investment in a comprehensive, multi-year assessment for all of the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) facilities and we applaud the value and strategic planning resulting from the Gilbert Facility Needs Assessment.

Our board recognizes the challenges facing you in funding this budget and the difficult decisions which you may need to make.  We appreciate that your decisions are made with the best interest of our students as the primary factor guiding you. 

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayton

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Public Hearing – FY11 Capital Budget

September 24, 2009

Members of the Board of Education, Dr. Cousin, and Staff Members,

We are testifying on behalf of the Atholton HS PTSA (AHS PTSA) to share our priorities for the FY11 Capital Budget.

We thank you very much for recognizing the need for a new roof at Atholton HS (AHS), and for including this project in the Capital Budget.  We appreciate that phase 2 (out of 3 phases) of our roof replacement was completed this summer.  We ask that phase 3 of the roof replacement remains in the FY11 Capital Budget proposal.  A protective roof is one of the best investments which could be made to ensure the building contents below are not damaged by water.

Atholton HS appreciates the investment in a comprehensive, multi-year assessment for all of the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) facilities.  We are grateful that you have demonstrated a deep understanding of the importance of addressing major renovation maintenance needs at aging facilities, while still expanding capacity where needed. 

We appreciate that the results of the Gilbert Facility Needs Assessment were used by you, and your staff, to evaluate the overall conditions at AHS, to recognize the immediate needs, and to prioritize repairs among all facilities.  Our community is thrilled that the FY11 Capital Budget includes a major renovation at Atholton HS for FY12.  The AHS PTSA implores that planning funds will be allocated in FY11 to keep this major renovation on schedule.  As you are keenly aware, the project cost continues to increase each year, and will never cost less than it will today.  Completing this renovation as soon as possible will save money in the long run.  We request that you retain the Atholton HS major renovation schedule in the final version of the budget which will be submitted to the state and county in October 2009.

Atholton HS has two goals.  One is to ensure that our community understands the imperative to obtain full funding for the proposed budget, and to understand that HCPSS has no control over its funding revenue.  A second goal is to create a unified, positive plan to support your initiatives in this budget and master plan.  We are sharing with our community that we need to, first, remain in the final version of the FY11 Capital Budget, and then work hard to obtain funding at the county and/or state levels.

The urgency for a dedicated, sustainable funding source for HCPSS increases every year, and with the reductions in state commitments, expiration of the excise tax revenue, and limited local funds, we must all act together.  The AHS PTSA is ready to bring our community out in force to be counted in support of obtaining this funding source. 

We are ready to do whatever is necessary to assist in acquiring a dedicated funding source for the Howard County Public School System, and we look forward to working with you in this endeavor.

The Atholton HS PTSA greatly appreciates your dedication to the students of Howard County, and your recognition of the needs at Atholton HS.

Respectfully,

Susan Lustbader               Caryn D. Lasser
AHS PTSA President        AHS PTSA Immediate Past President

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Public Hearing: FY11 Capital Budget Development, August 13, 2009

Members of the Board of Education, Dr. Cousin, and Staff Members,

We are writing on behalf of the Atholton HS PTSA (AHS PTSA) to share our priorities for the FY11 Capital Budget.

We thank you very much for recognizing the need for a new roof at Atholton HS (AHS), and for including this project in the Capital Budget.  We are thrilled that phase 2 (out of 3 phases) of our roof replacement will be completed this summer.  We ask that phase 3 of the roof replacement remains in the FY11 Capital Budget proposal.  A protective roof is one of the best investments which could be made to ensure the building contents below are not damaged by water.

We appreciate that the results of the June 2007 Facility Needs Assessment were used by you, and your staff, to evaluate the overall conditions at AHS, and that the Long-Range Master Plan includes a major renovation at Atholton HS beginning in FY12.  The AHS PTSA is most hopeful that planning will be authorized to begin in FY11 for this major renovation.  We ask that you retain the current renovation schedule in the final version of the budget which will be submitted to the state and county in October 2009.

Atholton HS has two goals. One is to ensure that our community understands that we have a long road ahead as we try to obtain funding for the proposed budget. A second goal is to create a unified, positive plan to support your initiatives in this budget and master plan. We are sharing with our community that we need to, first, remain in the final version of the FY11 Capital Budget, and then work to obtain funding at the county and/or state levels.

We are ready to do whatever is necessary to assist in acquiring a dedicated funding source for the Howard County Public School System, and we look forward to working with you in this endeavor.

The Atholton HS PTSA greatly appreciates your dedication to the students of Howard County, and your recognition of the needs at Atholton HS.

Respectfully,

Susan Lustbader        
AHS PTSA President     

Caryn D. Lasser
AHS PTSA Immediate Past President

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Budget: Letter to Board of Education, February 3, 2009

Dear Dr. Cousin and Members of the Board of Education,

I am writing on behalf of the Atholton High School Parent Teacher Student Association Executive Board (AHS PTSA) to express our support of the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget for FY 2010.  We applaud the considerable evaluation and planning evident in this budget.  The proposed budget clearly reflects the priorities of continuing programs and initiatives which support the success of each student while recognizing the extreme fiscal challenges ahead. 

We support the reallocation of funding, as well as the purposeful reduction of expenses to accommodate growth in critical need areas such as enrollment growth, and growing ESOL and academic support programs.  Careful review of unfilled positions, and reductions in conference attendance, Worker’s Compensation and deferral of vehicle replacement are all prudent measures.

We view the proposed reductions in building maintenance with cautious optimism, as the assessments completed the past several years, and documented by the Gilbert studies, have shown that there is still great attention needed at many facilities.  As was identified in the 2006 Gilbert report, Atholton HS has significant immediate needs, and we appreciate that we are scheduled for a major systemic renovation in FY12.  It is our sincere hope that deferring maintenance will not push out the renovation schedule.  Successful delivery of instruction depends on a properly functioning building.

We remain ready to do whatever is necessary to assist in acquiring a dedicated funding source for the Howard County Public School System, and we look forward to working with you in this endeavor.

Our board recognizes the challenges facing you in achieving funding for this budget and the difficult decisions which may await you should it not be fully funded.  We appreciate that your decisions are made with the best interest of our students as the primary factor guiding you.

Sincerely,

Caryn D. Lasser
AHS PTSA President          

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Letter to AHS Families on Board of Education Capital Budget

Dear AHS Families,

There is a serious shortfall expected in available funding for this year. We will soon need to work together to encourage our state and local governments to find a dedicated funding source for our schools. Learning more about the budget will help you understand this. The most recent full budget is available under Board Docs at www.boarddocs.com.

I will be sharing more information on the budget process and our involvement soon. If you have any questions or would like to become more involved in working together in our unified effort, please contact me at cdlasser@gmail.com .

Thank you for your support of Atholton HS and all of our students!

Caryn D. Lasser
AHS PTSA President