Edwardsville Superintendent's Comments for Aug. 24 Board of Education Meeting

Classes and extracurricular activities are all underway, and I want to thank the many groups of people who were responsible for District 7 schools having an outstanding opening to the 2015-16 school year. We look forward to another excellent year in academics, athletics, fine and performing arts, and other school activities. I will be visiting classrooms over the next couple of weeks, and I look forward to seeing our students and teachers actively engaged in learning.

District 7 had a terrific first week. As with any successful organization, it was a team effort.

• The District’s maintenance, custodial, and grounds staffs worked tirelessly since the first day of summer break to ensure that grounds were in top shape, that schools were clean and ready for students and staff, and that all equipment and systems were working efficiently.
• Central office administrators conducted professional development for both newly hired teachers and reassigned staff so that each person would be ready to give his/her best to students on the first day of school.
• Teachers devoted many hours to preparing classrooms so that students would have engaging and nurturing learning environments as school began.
• In addition to providing the necessary school supplies, parents prepared their children with positive attitudes toward learning.
• Most of all, I want to thank the more than 7,500 students who began this year showing each other respect and displaying enthusiastic attitudes for new academic challenges.

Enrollment Update

August 24, 2015, marked the official six day enrollment count for the 2015-16 school year; the pre-Kindergarten-12^th grade enrollment (including early childhood special education, prekindergarten, and Preschool Academy students) was 7,504.

I would like to thank the Board of Education for supporting class size averages that continue to be the envy of our neighboring districts:

• Kindergarten, 1^st grade, & 2^nd grade: 21-22 students
• 3^rd grade: 24 students
• 4^th and 5^th grades: 26 students
• 6^th grade: 27-28 students
• 7^th grade: 26 students
• 8^th grade: 28-29 students
• Edwardsville High School: 26-29 students

We welcome the many new families who chose to raise and educate their families within the communities that make up District 7.

Preliminary 2015-2016 Budget

The Finance Committee and full Board approved the display of the preliminary 2015-2016 budget on Monday night. As discussed with the Board previously, it was expected that the District would be facing a similar budget deficit as experienced during the 2014-2015 school year.

In fact, the 2015-2016 preliminary budget shows the depletion of all remaining working cash reserves ($3.3 million), along with an increase in the Education Fund deficit of approximately $630,000. There will be no working cash reserves going into the 2016-2017 school year.

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