Postcard Campaign to combat proposed 10 Percent Budget Cut to WJCC Schools
Postcard Campaign to combat proposed 10 Percent Budget Cut to WJCC Schools by the WJCC Board of Supervisors
Drive Thru Postcard Pickup is Sunday May 31st at 1 PM at the Williamsburg Players Parking Lot.
If you have not heard about the proposed budget cuts to the 2020-2021 WJCC School Budget, see the images below provided by the School Board to see the effect of a 10% cut (which is the amount the WJCC Board was last considering).
Proposed cuts include reduced take home pay to teachers. Students may lose sports and arts programs. Bright Beginnings preschool programs will suffer cuts. There will be less teacher aids in elementary schools (which if you have kids in elementary you know these are essential employees – many times also covering the lunch room and recess). Cuts to High School AP classes, no 2021 text books, larger class sizes and many other cuts are being projected. (See all the items in two graphics below)
To combat this, a Facebook group was started by WJCC Public School Parents called Postcard campaign for preserving the arts in the WJCC schools. They have printed 2800 postcards featuring different arts productions and art related works by WJCC students. The postcards are address and stamped for local politician to encourage them to find the money and not cut the WJCC School Budget especially for the Arts.
The WJCC School Board warned parents of the pending cuts a couple of weeks ago and since that time parents and the local community have come together to support the schools.
The Postcard Campaign Group is planning to distribute the postcards to anyone who would like to have them to mail. They are planning to distribute them in a drive thru this weekend on Sunday May 31st at 1 pm. in the parking lot of the Williamsburg Players, 200 Hubbard Lane, right off Merrimac Trail. They will make packets of 10 and they will hand you as many packets as you think you might need.
There is also a survey from the Hornsby Middle School PTSA if you would like your voice heard on budget cut items. Here is the link for the survey
If you would like to write to the School Board and let them know what you would not want cut – you can find WJCC School Board Members here.
The Board of Supervisors has put the School’s 2019 budget surplus back in the School Budget ($1.7M) but the budget is still over $9M underfunded. If you would like to write to the Board of Supervisors and ask them to find the money to support the schools or use part of the General Fund you can find their contact information here.
Also, the State Officials can be contacted about funding our students in times of a pandemic and in general. During the last School Board meeting it was mentioned that Virginia ranks 49th in education spent per child in the Nation. This is why our school budget relies so heavily on our local government funding, and why when tourism is hit our budget is hit. Please consider writing to your State Officials.
Remember all this can be included on the back of the postcards you can pick up on Sunday – they are already stamped and addressed for you. All you have to do is write on them about your concerns and drop them in the mail. Here is the link to the Postcard campaign for preserving the arts in the WJCC schools
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