ee itt! a (ae) RED CLAY CONSOLIDATED. ‘SCHOOL DISTRICT Mervin 8. Daugherty, EAD. "Stoernfonsoe ‘Aamnitrin ontcas "eae Soyuce Ware \wngion Bosna 605 (Otten of he Superintendent tee gaa ssa Pow” Goahos2 rs May 11, 2017 Dear Red Clay Community, ‘As you may be aware, current revenue projections forecast a deficit of over $395 million in the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year starting July 1. This will have a significant impact on education and our district. While nothing is finalized In Dover and discussions are continuing, | want to make you aware of our plan at the district level and provide information as to how you can participate. Next fiscal year is the third and final year of the operating referendum passed by the Red Clay voters in 2015. We are grateful for the community's support and have been able to make tremendous progress on curriculum updates and our 1:1 technology initiative, as well as ‘maintaining the critical resources and staff at our schools. However, local funds only account for approximately 40% of our operating budget. Roughly 60% of all revenue comes from the state. When there are reductions at the state level, the district is directly impacted. Governor Carney’s proposed reset budget cuts education by $15 million, This means ‘approximately $1.8 million for Red Clay. Adcitionally there is a proposal to reduce $22 milion in state revenue by shifting this to local property tax payers without a referendum. This would have 2 devastating impact on our local funds in the future when we need to ask the community to approve the next referendum. Without property reassessment, we cannot avoid future referenda, ‘Together, the two proposals total $4.8 million for Red Clay. These are initial proposals and will be debated by the General Assembly between now and June 30 when the state budget Is finalized. ‘As we prepare the district budget for next year, we do so amidst a great deal of uncertainty as we do not know what the final numbers and cuts will be. We are preparing multiple scenarios and have scheduled a special budget workshop with the Red Clay Board on June 6. This meeting is ‘pen to the public. This is in advance of the July 12 meeting where the Board sets the official tax Fate for the fiscal year. | can assure you throughout the budget planning process we will maintain ‘our focus on the district's strategic plan and targeting funding and staff in schools, We will make every effort to minimize the impact of cuts at the classroom level, but any reduction will have an impact. We have worked extremely hard throughout the district to become a state leader In PSAT, SAT and. {AP scores, lowering the dropout rate to 0.9%, becoming a state leader in college readiness, offering 20 dual enrollment courses and expanding IB and Immersion programs. Thank you for your continued support of our district and our students. | will continue to be a strong advocate for our students and schools. | urge you to join me at this critical time and contact your legisiators, | have listed the Red Clay legislators and their contact information on the back page. These are the people \Who will be making the final decisions in the days and weeks to come and who need to hear from. You as they prioritize the challenges facing them, Respectfully, Wee Davy = Mervin 8. Daugherty, £4.0, Theme clay Conon Slt don ot cnn om he as of ce, ed oa, vg eon, x retin om ayes sn, Sc, ute apc, nly red oe Tne sel be ered Debi Banga Haman Rests 208Harris McDowell 302.744.4147 Harris. Medowell@state.de.us 1 Margaret Rose Henry | 2 302.744.4191 MargaretRose Henry@state.de.us Robert Marshall 3 302.744.4168 Robert. Marshall@state.de.us Gregory Lavelle 4 302.744.4135 Gregory Lavelle @state.de.us ‘Anthony Delcollo 7 302.744.4306 ‘Anthony. Delcollo@state.de.us David Sokola 8 302.744.4139 David.Sokola@state.de.us John Walsh 9 302.744.4058 John Walsh@state.de.us Charles Potter, 1 302.744.4114 Charles.Potter@state.de.us ‘Stephanie Bolden 2 302.744.4351 Stephanie.Boulden@state.de.us Helene Keeley 3 302.744.4351 Helene.Keeley@state.de.us Gerald Brady 4 302.744.4351 Gerald.Brady@state.de.us Deborah Hudson 2 302.744.4171 Deborah. Hudson @state.de.us John Mitchell 2B 302.744.4351 John Mitchell@state.de.us Kimberly Williams 19 302.744.4351. Kimberly. Williams@state.de.us Michael Ramone 2 302.744.4108 Michael. Ramone@state.de.us Joseph Miro 2 302.744.4171 Joseph. Miro@state.de.us