Noblesville Indiana Schools Referendum

May 4th is the vote. Please put it on your calendars and make this happen VOTE YES on May 4th!!! Many of you probably know this already, but just in case..... Hello everyone!  I hope that this email finds all of you doing well!  This note is long, but please stick with it.  Noblesville Schools needs your help!!!!  Thanks for your time and if you could forward this email on to anyone that you know in Noblesville I would appreciate it more than you know!  We were told that classrooms increase to 38-44 students per classroom if this referendum doesn't pass on May 4th.  PLEASE GO OUT AND VOTE!  The sad thing is that the children have no voice!  They are the ones that are going to suffer.  Thanks for reading the below letter and forwarding it on. Have a great week! Alicia This was written by Lori Ritchie Noblesville employee.  It is very well written!  Here it is! As I'm sure you all know, Noblesville Schools is having to make significant cuts in their budgets, just like other school systems across Indiana. Because schools are funded by sales tax and no longer funded by property tax (guaranteed funds), our schools are in a world of hurt. Sales tax revenues were not what they projected and therefore our schools are suffering. Had we maintained our school funding through property taxes, we wouldn't be facing the financial crisis we are today. I encourage you to do a number of things. First, read the letter below that I sent to the school board and Dr. Conner. Think about how this is going to affect your child, your property values, your life in Noblesville if our schools are forced to reduce to the bare minimum. Who will want to move to Noblesville when our schools can't provide the necessary programs, activities, faculty, and staff to insure student success? Second, vote YES for the operating referendum on May 4. Get the word out. Make it known to family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. that the operating referendum needs to pass. This affects everyone, not just those with school aged children. Empty nesters' property values will decrease immensely if our school system deteriorates. Third, let your legislator know that you are unhappy with what they are choosing to do to our schools. Let them know that you control if they are in office or not and if you aren't happy with what they are doing, they won't be in office long. Remind them that they speak for the people of Noblesville. Below is my letter and my feelings about the cuts they are suggesting. I'm sure I could've added much more! Thanks for taking the time to read it. Thanks for supporting the teachers and students of Noblesville. Thanks for getting the word out. Thanks for doing the right thing and voting YES on May 4. Lori March 11, 2010 Dear School Board Member and Dr. Conner, Noblesville Schools’ vision is EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY, CHALLENGE AND SUCCESS. Read that statement carefully. Every is a very strong word: eve·ry (vr) adj. 1. a. Constituting each and all members of a group without exception. EVERY student, not just those who come from wealthy homes, those who excel in math, those who can win a national spelling bee, those who get a healthy breakfast every morning, those who don’t have special needs, but EVERY student without exception. EVERY day, not just on the days we choose, but EVERY day, Monday through Friday, without exception. CHALLENGE and SUCCESS, not just “well, we will do the best we can even though we don’t have the necessary programs”, not just “well, we’ll reach those students who excel at math or language arts but not the students whose strengths are music, theater, technology, and the visual arts”, but challenge and success for once again, EVERY student without exception. How can Noblesville Schools live up to this vision if you cut the integral parts of our educational system? How can we meet the needs of students who are strong in music, technology, theater, and the visual arts when you cut those programs and don’t offer them? After all, there are seven different ways children demonstrate intellectual ability. These are called multiple intelligences. Some students have naturalist intelligence, some have musical intelligence, and some are logical/mathematical smart while others are verbal/linguistic smart. Still others have interpersonal or intrapersonal intelligences, existential intelligence, or bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Finally, some students learn by visual/spatial intelligence. How can students in Noblesville be CHALLENGED and SUCCESSFUL if you deny them the programs and opportunities in which they can be most SUCCESSFUL? How can students with special needs be SUCCESSFUL without aides and teachers to assist them in being SUCCESSFUL? How can a child whose parents are going through a divorce, a student who has lost a sibling, parent, or pet, a student who doesn’t know where they are going to be living that night, a student who has witnessed domestic abuse, function and be SUCCESSFUL when there is no counselor to help them work through their emotions so they can actually have an opportunity to be SUCCESSFUL? How can a student who requires ADD medicine, asthma medicine, insulin regulated, etc. be SUCCESSFUL when there’s no nurse to dispense it or monitor their physical needs? How can a student who needs to complete a PowerPoint presentation or an excel spreadsheet, a student who needs to research the internet for material be SUCCESSFUL with no technology teachers or assistants to help them work through it and troubleshoot problems that may occur? How can students who are looking for literature that they enjoy, students who need to find information in books or periodicals, students who need assistance with finding appropriate reading materials for their age/reading level be SUCCESSFUL when there are no media specialists to work with them? We all understand and realize that education in Indiana is in serious trouble. We know that the legislators have virtually destroyed our school systems by continuing to cut funds, but aren’t there better and/or other ways to cut and save money than taking necessary programs and people away from the students. Isn’t that what we are here for--the students--EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY, CHALLENGE AND SUCCESS? If you choose to make these cuts, you also need to amend Noblesville Schools’ vision because you truly aren’t for EVERY student, just the ones you handpick. Please do what we voted you onto the school board to do…advocate for EVERY one of Noblesville’s children. Keep the vision of CHALLENGING them and making them SUCCESSFUL every day. Keep Noblesville Schools one of the strongest educational systems in Indiana. Thank you for your time and consideration. Yours in education, Lori Ritchie Noblesville Resident Voter and Tax Payer Educator and Parent