Dear Editor:
The Sheridan Elementary Parent Teacher Organization has the privilege of working alongside our teachers and staff at the Sheridan Community School District. As a self-funded non-profit, we understand the struggle of juggling rising costs and budget limitations. On May 2, our small community is being asked to support additional moneys for our schools. One of the most commonly asked questions is, “why can’t they control spending within the budget they already have?” It turns out that the notion of a fixed budget is a misnomer. Consider this:
Indiana state law changes have reduced Sheridan Community Schools budget by $430,000 over the last 5 years.
- Recently enacted legislation is expected to divert an additional $330,000 away from Sheridan Community Schools over the next 3 years.
- Since Superintendent Mundy arrived in 2014, the budget has gone down each year except one. Overall, the current budget is less than 1% over the budget he inherited, well below inflation.
Superintendent Mundy has previously eliminated positions, merged positions, and cut numerous other costs to advance our schools while saving Sheridan taxpayers money. In the face of state tax money continuing to diminish from Sheridan Community Schools, our school board has asked for an additional $0.006 per $100,000 tax rate (prior referendum of 0.19 being replaced by current ask of 0.25). Superintendent Mundy has shown to be a good steward of the school corporation’s money, but even he cannot grow it on trees. This small ask is an easy YES to continue the stellar value of a Sheridan education.
Our schools are the pillars of our community. They are the source of pride and excitement for families with and without school-age children. They add to your property value and make Sheridan a desirable place to relocate. Moreover, they are constantly developing the future leaders of Sheridan, Indiana. It would be easy to ask that you not skimp on our children and their education. It is even easier when Superintendent Mundy and our school board have already demonstrated their ability to manage shrinking budgets and squeeze value out of every penny. Please vote YES on May 2 to enable our schools to continue adding value to our community.
SCS PTO