Dear Ann Arbor Public Schools Community,
We truly appreciate your input during this challenging time. Staff and community members have asked several questions about upcoming deadlines, events, and key dates, so we want to provide some accurate information.
We understand there has been confusion and want to clarify that there are two separate plans: the corrective action plan required by the state and the district’s comprehensive budget plan, which will contain specific reductions and cost-saving measures.
The state corrective action plan due April 15 is general and does not require the degree of specifics that our district’s comprehensive budget plan will contain. The plan the state requires simply expresses the district’s commitment in general terms. To be clear, the state’s corrective action details will require the Board of Education and district’s commitment to take the necessary steps to achieve a 5% fund balance or above, as required by state law. Any specific staff reductions and the nature of those reductions will be detailed in the district’s comprehensive budget plan, not the state corrective action plan. As we have shared publicly over the past few weeks, the district’s comprehensive budget plan will be developed after we receive community input through our survey, virtual town hall, and other engagement opportunities.
Feedback from our staff and the AAPS community is critical to this process, and we will continue to seek your input. We are including additional opportunities to gather feedback. The format for all of these events, including the virtual town hall, will include the same brief presentation, a chance to submit questions for Q&A and an opportunity to provide input and feedback. For those unable to attend any of the meetings, we will post a recording of the virtual meeting, along with a link to submit questions and provide input and feedback.
· Friday, April 5, our community survey will close at midnight tonight. If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to complete the survey at the link found here.
· On Thursday, April 11, our Board of Education will hold its regular meeting at 7:00 pm.
· On Monday, April 15 at 6:30 pm, we will conduct a virtual town hall meeting as part of our ongoing efforts to keep our community informed. This will be recorded and posted for anyone unable to view the virtual meeting live or attend one of the community sessions. It will be available here.
· On Tuesday, April 16, we will hold a community meeting for families and community at Huron High School at 6:30 pm.
· On Wednesday, April 17, in lieu of staff meetings, we will meet with our AAPS staff at Pioneer High School at 3:45 pm for Secondary staff and 5:00 pm for Elementary staff.
· On Thursday, April 18, we will hold a community meeting for families and community at Skyline High School at 6:30 pm.
Thank you for your dedication to our students and district. We look forward to continuing to engage with our AAPS community as we navigate these challenging circumstances.
Sincerely,
Jazz Parks
Interim Superintendent
Ann Arbor Public Schools
