Dear Parent (s)/Guardian(s):

I am writing on behalf of the Lenape Regional High School District to ask for your help. As you may know, the percentage of state funding the LRHSD receives annually has been drastically reduced over the past eleven years.  In July 2018, we learned from the NJ Department of Education that our district would experience a $386,710.00 reduction in 2018-2019 state funding, in addition to the $574,746.00 loss in state aid we already had planned for in this year’s budget. That is a total loss of $961,456.00 for this fiscal year alone.

The Board of Education and our administrative team made the necessary reductions in expenditures this year to balance the 2018-2019 budget. Next year, as a result of the new state aid plan, we expect a reduction of approximately $681,736.00 in funding. The state outlined additional reductions for the next six years, bringing our district’s total amount projected loss within seven years to $8,308,950.00 ($8.3 million).

We are not alone in this funding challenge. Six of the K-8 districts in the Lenape Region are facing reductions in their funding as well. The Lenape Region will face a combined approximately $24 million in state aid reductions. Student programming, staffing and operations at every district in the region will feel the impact.

We do not want to sit back and simply “brace” for impact. We invite you to become part of our effort to find a solution for a long-term state-funding plan that is fair to all school districts – one that makes it possible to continue to deliver the highest quality education to our students.

Please join us on Thursday, February 21 at 6:30 p.m. for a Lenape Regional Community Informational Forum where you can get the “facts” about these reductions and the projected effects they will have on our schools and in turn, our communities. You will also learn about a statewide coalition – the Support Our Students Advocacy Group – consisting of more than 70 school districts representing 150,000 students who are impacted by this funding plan. You will learn how YOU can join the coalition’s effort to fight for our district and, most important, our students. Knowledge can be powerful, and together, we can effect change! #BetterTogether

Save the Date:

• Topic:  Community Forum on State Funding Cuts to our Region
• When:  Thursday, February 21, 2019
• Where: Shawnee High School-Large Group Instruction Room (LGI)
• Time:   6:30 p.m.

We truly look forward to seeing you at the forum on February 21st. Thanking you in advance for your concern, passion and participation in this initiative to protect and preserve the Lenape Region’s schools – a cornerstone of our communities. 

Sincerely,

Carol L. Birnbohm, Ed. D.

Superintendent of Schools