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The Fine Print
 
I don't think anything is broken. I'm sure there are things that can be done better; but for the most part, given the laws and financial restraints, the ASD is doing a very good job. This section will address my beliefs and desires.
 
Please note that all of my decisions would be based on financial viability and what is best for the safety and performance of the most students.
 
Reading & Math
 
Strong basic reading and math skills are the cornerstone of the future education of all students. Letting students fall behind in either of these skills will only hinder tomorrow's progress and limit their options. Our elementary schools and the home environment are critical in developing these skills. I want to pursue programs that do not allow for mediocrity in these important life skills.
 
 
Green
 
I don't mean money here. I mean the environment.
In this ever growing "digital world", I'd like to see every conscious effort made to reduce paper usage and waste.
 
- I see so many documents printed on paper that can be read on a computer
 
- Does a student's test need to be done on paper? Can it be done on a computer without paper?
 
- We are paying for massive amounts of space to store paper documents that could be stored digitally. If we don't convert the old documents, we should at least begin storing current documents this way.

Teacher recruitment/retention

 

This should say employee recruitment/retention. At any given time the ASD is looking to hire 100+ employees (50+ teachers). It is public education and because it's the public's money, salary will always be an issue. Nobody wants to waste money, but we do need to do everything we can to encourage people to come to the ASD to teach and to keep them here. I feel that adequately equipped classrooms, up-to-date presentation tools and exceptional preparation resources are key in doing so.

 

Dream Sequence

"If I had a million dollars!"

 

Sorry, I really mean "If I had $70,000,000"! For the sake of conversation, I'm saying the ASD's annual budget is $700 million. In my dream, the government (public) waved a magic wand and found an extra $70,000,000 - a 10% increase in the budget. Here's how I'd like to see it distributed:

 

- $15M to salaries/benefits (5,000 employees avg. $3,000/yr increase)

- $15M to classroom size reduction

- $10M to classroom presentation equipment

- $30M towards capital improvements (if this would be enough to get rid of the annual bond process that is currently used)

 

End of Dream Sequence