Get active in how schools are funded

I am just like many of you. I am a very busy parent with a job and many community projects. So when I first received an invitation letter four years ago asking me to participate in the pilot of the Mat-Su School District Program-Based Budgeting advisory committee, I was hesitant. How could I fit yet another project into my life and what benefit would I get out of it anyway? It didn’t take long for me to realize something very important — it was my money, at least in part, they were asking me to help budget.

As an active community member working with children’s needs and educational issues for many years, I have a clear understanding of the value of a good education and the long-term implications for healthy communities. But translating that understanding into actual dollar amounts takes a commitment to get more involved. I was being asked by the district to give input into how to spend millions of dollars. District officials wanted to know what I thought about program effectiveness. They wanted to hear my ideas about how education could be improved. Since I have plenty of opinions, I got involved and have stayed involved ever since. Even my years of experience as president of the board of directors for a local non-profit did not prepare me for the enormity of the task the school district must endeavor each and every year.

I learned some very valuable lessons:

• School district administrative personnel are competent, knowledgeable and responsive. They do everything in their power to make wise decisions and to practice in a clear and transparent manner. Every question was answered and every line item explained.

• The school district does a whole lot with very little. More than $200 million can seem an overwhelming amount. But in a borough the size of West Virginia, the school district manages to operate 43 schools, more than 16,000 students and 2,200 employees. Our district is one of the largest in the state, second to Anchorage, and works with much less because our borough assembly does not use any kind of funding formula to determine its contribution nor does it fund us to the state cap. Yet it produces teachers who win national awards, schools that receive national recognition and students who go on to achieve great things. With such talent and skill available to us, just think of what could be accomplished with means comparable to other districts in the state.

• Resources are at their limit. Every year we manage to make ends meet and every year it requires a sacrifice of one kind or another. To fund one program means the ax for another. We must choose between equally important needs. Do we choose to focus on the high school drop-out rate or early literacy? Can we get away with fewer nurses so we can hire more teachers? How many more years can we use the same worn and torn textbooks?

So, it is that time of year again, friends and neighbors. The school district is once again gearing up to begin a process that will set the focus for the next school year. The district is asking you as a resident, parent, property owner and taxpayer to take an active role in the decisions that affect all our children. Take this opportunity to get a true understanding of the challenges this school district faces and the dedication it takes to ensure your children are educated. You just may be surprised by the lessons you will learn. I know I was.

Jamey Duhamel is a Palmer resident.