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Agenda Item #1 <br /> Attachment D <br /> Superintendent's Budget Message <br /> April 2020 <br /> We are currently experiencing unprecedented times in public education. The origins of this <br /> budget began in late 2019 under significantly different economic conditions. Now, the economic <br /> landscape has shifted underneath us. What we thought we could rely on is no longer, except for <br /> our unified commitment to quality education driven by our strategic plan as we work to empower, <br /> inspire, and engage our students. <br /> In recent weeks, we have been INSPIRED as our community has embraced students and families in <br /> need by providing daily meals and donating money for additional food for families. Staff, including <br /> cafeteria workers, bus drivers, volunteers, custodians, nurses, and social workers, are working <br /> hard to ensure that this happens every day in a safe environment. Teachers are professionally <br /> transitioning from in-person instruction to at-home learning. Administrators are continually <br /> communicating plans to parents while easing their worries about the new educational paradigm <br /> facing us. Guidance counselors and support staff are helping our students feel connected to <br /> schools, reducing anxieties. We have indeed been inspired by each other as we have leaned on <br /> one another. <br /> More than ever before, it is important to ENGAGE with our community to ensure that we have the <br /> funds to reopen schools effectively and provide supports to students who may need extra <br /> assistance to re-enter and excel throughout the 2020-2021 school year. We will need to retain <br /> our talented staff to help our students overcome any obstacles. We intend to do that by providing <br /> any State-legislated raises, paid parental leave for all staff, and two days of classified staff pay if <br /> any closings result from inclement weather. To retain experienced staff, we need to provide <br /> funding to remove the current certified supplement cap on those hired after July 2016, and re- <br /> affirm our commitment to compensate classified employees in compliance with the Orange <br /> County Living Wage. These employee benefits will help ensure that schools are fully staffed, and <br /> students have the available resources to continue their quality education. Additionally, to meet <br /> State-mandated class size changes and empower our young learners, we need to fund additional <br /> staff for grade levels kindergarten through third grade. <br /> We need to EMPOWER our teachers to continue to grow the lessons learned from remote <br /> learning. Our funding needs to reflect our commitment to assisting students in the transition back <br /> to face-to-face instruction in a way that makes everyone feel safe and invited back into our <br /> buildings. Education had to shift, and it empowered our community to engage with our schools, <br /> and parents to become supplemental educators. These opportunities have emphasized the <br /> importance of family and community engagement in a way we could not have imagined <br /> The times ahead of us will certainly present challenges. We do not know what the economic <br /> outcome will be in the next month, two months, or even the coming years. Accomplishing the <br />