Payson Roundup

On behalf of the Payson school district governing board, teachers, staff, leadership, and most importantly, our students, thank you voters for your support. In passing the Maintenance and Operations Override, you have ensured that catastrophic cuts to schools and programs will not take place.

Yes, it’s true; we are not out of the woods yet. The potential cuts coming from the state Legislature may be significant. We are however, no longer facing double jeopardy. If voters pass the sales tax in May, we’ll have about a $1 million to $1.2 million reduction in funding. While that’s not great, it’s survivable, in that when the economy recovers, our district and schools will be fundamentally intact.

I need to thank all of the 100-plus volunteers who contributed time and money to the Kids Count Campaign. The wide margin of support is a direct reflection of their efforts. Deserving particular recognition are Craig Swartwood, Barb Underwood and Joanne Conlin.

These campaign organizers worked tirelessly to manage and fund the campaign. I also want to acknowledge and thank the Payson Roundup. The editorial staff took a strong position on the override and repeated that message. That was courageous and no doubt influential in the outcome.

The community has spoken and now it’s our turn to answer. Despite fiscal challenges, we must find a way to sustain a culture of continuous improvement that is results driven. Effective instruction of rigorous curricula is the standard we must meet for our graduating students to be competitive in the global economy.

Your endorsement is really a vote of trust, and we will dedicate ourselves to keeping that trust by ensuring educational excellence for every student, in every school, every day.