Voice your opinion about proposed cuts to Savannah-Chatham public schools
(UPDATE: The .5 millage rate increase and no modification days proposal passed 5-4 at the Tues. June 7 board meeting.)
A big thank you to local public education advocate and mom Michelle Solomon for the following guest post:
The Savannah-Chatham Board of Education is meeting on Tues. June 7 to consider the school budget and there are a lot of cuts on the table: furloughing teachers, closing schools, or eliminating band and athletic programs. They are also considering a proposal to avoid the cuts by raising property taxes a small amount – about $70/family depending on your property value, which is less than what most people are getting back because of the devaluations. It’s a small amount to pay for so much.
It would help tons if everyone who cares about the schools would send an email ASAP to the members of the Savannah-Chatham Public School Board saying:
– you support the .5 mil property tax increase that Savannah-Chatham Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Lockamy asked for:
– where you live
– your profession
– where your kids go to school
– your own thoughts on the proposed cuts (optional)
Even if your kids are in private school, or you don’t have any kids in school, it would help to send something – actually, it would probably help even more.
Here are the Board emails, plus an email set up to get copies of the letters that someone will hopefully bring to the Board meeting – you can just cut and paste this list: joe.buck@sccpss.com ; julie.wade@sccpss.com ; floyd.adams@sccpss.com ; alexander.luten@sccpss.com ; irene.hines@sccpss.com ; gregory.sapp@sccpss.com ; lori.brady@sccpss.com ; julie.gerbsch@sccpss.com ; ruby.jones@sccpss.com ; forsavannahschools@gmail.com
And even better than all that, if you can go to the Board meeting and speak in support of the schools, that would make a big difference. The meeting is 6pm Tuesday at Whitney Administrative Complex, 2 Laura St.
For background info on this issue:
Savannah Morning News on the tax proposal
Savannah Morning News on the proposed cuts
Savannah Morning News on property tax devaluations