Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation is holding a public meeting tonight at the high school auditorium. The Fight for Public Education presentation headlines the evening with what the future at N.J.-S.P. could be. A combination of declining revenue and enrollment over the last several years have resulted in drastic budget cuts. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says this makes it very difficult to maintain the same services and personnel that the school has always had. She says while cuts have already been made, more will be necessary.
“It’s getting to the point where you can only cut so much. It’s a difficult time for us. We want the community to be aware of some of the situations we are facing right now with our revenue,” said Johnson.
Johnson says enrollment has been on a steady decline for the past 13 years, but in 2012 they really took a hit and lost the small schools and restoration grants.
“The restoration grant was a way for small schools that were experiencing declining enrollment to average out that decrease. This saved us money. When they were eliminated we immediately lost $1 million in revenue,” said Johnson.
Johnson says today’s 6:30 p.m. meeting is an informational session for the community to understand what the corporation is facing. She adds several options will be laid out and looked at to better the future. Johnson noted while this has been a big challenge to tackle, the students are making tremendous progress that make the fight for public education at North Judson-San Pierre a must.
