A Message From the Principal

April 28, 2008

Dear Westbrooke Wildcats!

I would first like to pass along my thanks to all the parents who came on April 22nd to assist in chartering our new PTA. We had a fantastic turnout! Please make plans to attend our Kick-Off Meeting on May 6th at 6:30 p.m. PTA is sponsoring an ice-cream social for all the new families coming to Westbrooke Elementary. It will be held in the cafeteria at Lake Whitney and should be a fun event. Members of the new faculty will be there. We will have student supply lists and summer expectations available. PTA will also have committee sign up sheets for those interested in helping out during the year.

The biggest topic of conversation over the last few weeks has been the budget and its impact on education and specifically, the impact on Westbrooke. If you have kept up with the news, the reasons for the budget cuts are a combination of many things; the passing of the property tax amendment, the housing crunch, the Class Size Reduction Amendment, and finally the slowing economy of the state. I have used this analogy before, but I called it “the perfect storm” for education funding. If you want a dollar figure, Westbrooke had to cut over $200,000 from its upcoming 2008-2009 budget. That equates into several teacher and resource positions that I was not able to hire for. All schools are going to have to do more with less.

Our school construction was budgeted prior to all the cuts, so we are still getting all the new technology, playgrounds, textbooks, furniture, etc. For many other schools, they will not have the resources to upgrade or update their schools. In that sense, we are much better off. Where we will struggle is not having the extra resources to “catch up” with items such; as a guided reading library for teachers, extra classroom supplies, discretionary funds, etc. because schools have accumulated these things over years. This is where parent support will be most critical for our success. I have been overwhelmed by the response to help, so in the next few weeks I will be sending home information on the top needs for our new school and how you can help.

Enjoy the month of May and thank you for your continuing support of Westbrooke Elementary!

Sincerely,
Robert Bixler

Click Here for the New Staff Listing!