Eastern Pulaski School Board Approves 2012 Budget

Dr. Robert Klitzman
Dr. Robert Klitzman

Eastern Pulaski School Corporation is one of only two systems in the state that are on a fiscal year budget. The rest are on calendar year.

Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman said that the board received and approved the budget for the year this week. The budget will begin in July of 2012.

“Senator Charbonneau called and I talked with him and he is interested in looking at some legislation that would have all schools move towards a fiscal year budget,” said Dr. Klitzman. “When you stop and think about it, you call it a fiscal year budget, but really it’s a school year budget. We start a school year in August and our budget starts in July so there’s some benefits to it. On the other side of it, I do understand why some folks don’t want to change. It’s something they’re used to and they do it as a routine and as we all know change is difficult and quite frankly, I don’t think it’ll get changed. What I’m most interested in is that they leave us alone and we can do our projects the way we want to and so far they’ve done that. If they want to change I’m all for it.”

On another topic, Dr. Klitzman announced that the Eastern Pulaski Elementary School had attained 4-Star recognition. This is the highest academic recognition the state can bestow on a school.

“What that means is that on the ISTEP, that’s the State Assessment, our students performed at every single grade level at the elementary school, grades three through five, at the upper 25 percent of all students, all students taking the test, in English, Language Arts and in Math. That’s the first time we’ve achieved that so we’re very proud of Mrs. Collins, our teachers, our assistants, our parents, our community, and those elementary students. They’re the ones that did it. Our students performed very well and I can’t tell you how proud I am of everyone.”