What to know about the Triton Referendum Part II
With the upcoming election quickly approaching, it is an important time for Triton Public Schools. We are asking our voters to support an Operating Levy to help support our district in three categories:
General Operations
Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology
Fine Arts
In the conversations I have with parents and community members about this topic, people want to know what this money will be used for. I would like to share how fund- ing in these categories impacts Triton Elementary.
GENERAL OPERATIONS
Approximately 80% of our school’s budget is used to pay staff salaries and benefits. When Triton’s 2017 Operating Levy did not pass, Triton Elementary cut one classroom teacher and two reading paraprofessionals. What does this mean for Triton students today? Larger class sizes and less support for specialized reading instruction.
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND TECHNOLOGY
The elementary math and read- ing curriculums were updated
about 10 years ago. The science and social studies curriculums are much older. Standards change and curricular materials are updated to reflect these changes, but we do not have the funding to update cur- riculum.
Technology is used in the class- room to enhance instruction and at Triton Elementary our technol- ogy is outdated and/or obsolete.
Teachers have ENO boards that are no longer compatible with the soft- ware available, iPads are old and breaking down, and we could use more Chromebooks for our upper elementary students. Right now we don’t have the funds necessary to make any improvements in tech- nology at the elementary.
FINE ARTS
Triton Elementary currently offers 5th grade choir and would like to add 5th grade band back into the schedule. Band instruments and supplies are expensive. With an increase in fine arts funding, Triton Elementary is ready to implement 5th grade band again.
I hope this provides some spe- cific areas at Triton Elementary impacted by the lack of funding we receive from the state. As Mr. Joyce noted in his article, the great thing about a school levy is that we know exactly where our tax money is going… to our students!