Support the Bond and Mill Levy!

Dear Members and EPS employees –

Tonight at the board meeting the school board wrote and passed a resolution stating that if the Mill Levy passed, thus funding (re-funding) the maintenance for all the buildings as well as qualifying the district for matching state funds, that the money that is now being pulled out of the general fund for maintenance, approximately $775,000 – they resolve to not only put it back into the general fund but to earmark and budget it for the classroom.

When I say classroom, which was defined at the board meeting as student/classroom centered (the exact language will be available soon) but what it means is that the money will possibly be spent on staff raises (maybe, pending negotiations) for all staff directly involved with students, cooks, custodians, secretaries, receptionists, teacher aides, teachers. It may also be spent on classroom supplies, school trips, class projects, etc. Excluded from things that it can be spent on are administration, central office, and maintenance – maintenance being what the mill levy will fund, and why this money will be available for the students and student centered stuff.

The school board made, voted and passed this resolution because your Espanola-NEA leadership team asked the board to attend the January Executive Board meeting and explain both the Bond Issue, and the Mill Levy. They then spent considerable time talking with the school board members who came for that purpose and suggested to the School Board that if they could promise that the money freed up by the mill levy would be spent in the classroom for students, that Espanola-NEA would back the bond and mill levy and actively and ask all our members, and all other school employees to please

VOTE YES

on the bond and mill levy issue on Tuesday February 1, 2011.

The bond issue has been carefully orchestrated by the School Board so that there will be no tax increase for anyone, taxes regarding the bond will remain the same through out the life of the bond, as they are now. The mill levy will cost $2 for every $3,000 your property is valued at by the property assessor. The School Board has set up what we consider to be an excellent Bond Oversight Committee, with several community members on it, including Cathy Berryhill, the committee will meet and go over what the money is being spent on, and how it is being spent, and the order in which projects are being worked on. There will also be individual school site oversight committees who will stay on top of the individual school site projects.

This is more accountability for bond moneys than has ever occurred before, we think it is a good plan and we know how much the district needs both the bond and the mill levy – Please VOTE YES and encourage all of your friends and neighbors to VOTE YES.

Brought you by your friendly Espanola-NEA – thank you for voting yes, and if you would like to volunteer for the phone bank, please contact John Reese at the HS.