| The news that North Kansas City schools are | | | | the lion's share of the money is being spent. No |
| implementing a plan to trim their budget by $1 | | | | jobs will be cut, but the board officials at North |
| million should be applauded by the public. North | | | | Kansas City schools will be making adjustments to |
| Kansas City schools, like many other school | | | | make better use of the human resources they |
| districts, need to realize that there is not an | | | | already have. |
| unlimited pool of funding available. | | | | The easy approach, by far, would be to get the |
| North Kansas City Schools Have Only a Limited | | | | axe out and start swinging. I was very glad to |
| Amount of Funding Available | | | | read that any reductions in the staff working at |
| North Kansas City schools need to receive | | | | North Kansas City schools will be done through |
| enough funding to ensure that students have the | | | | attrition. The schools can be thought of as being in |
| tools they need to learn. The problem with school | | | | the service industry; they get funding to provide |
| budgets in general (not just the budget for North | | | | educational services to our young people. |
| Kansas schools) is that the people in charge of | | | | When you start cutting back too deep or too |
| those funds tend to forget exactly where the | | | | quickly, the quality of that service will suffer. |
| money comes from. The government can only | | | | When the quality of education suffers, then we |
| collect so much in taxes, after all. | | | | will all end up paying for it. The children going |
| The challenge faced by North Kansas City schools | | | | through North Kansas City schools are our future |
| is how to keep costs in line, while still providing a | | | | leaders. If we start cutting the budgets for North |
| quality education. Since the vast majority of | | | | Kansas City schools without having a detailed plan |
| school board spending is on salaries, this is the | | | | in place, we may end up with a generation that is |
| budget item that might fist be examined for | | | | not well prepared for life as adults when they |
| possible cuts. School business is a tough business. | | | | finish school. |
| Teacher salaries are always a topic for debate | | | | We use a portion of our tax dollars to invest in |
| and yet talented teachers are in demand and | | | | the next generation because we know those |
| schools are finding it difficult to address budget | | | | young people are worth it. The board officials |
| needs at the teacher level. | | | | need to spend those funds wisely, and that may |
| Budget Goals at North Kansas City Schools Can | | | | mean making changes to class size or choosing |
| Be Met Without Cutting Staff | | | | not to run some courses where there isn't |
| I applaud the decision taken by board officials | | | | enough interest to justify keeping them going. |
| responsible for North Kansas City schools in | | | | North Kansas City schools are on the right track; |
| deciding to look at where the public's tax dollars | | | | more school districts need to follow in their |
| are being spent and make some changes where | | | | footsteps. |