Posted January 27, 2022
Dear Lincoln Friends and Families-
I realize that this morning’s Ledger did not address the budget concerns that have been top of mind for me and our entire community. I apologize and thank you for your patience and support. I know that many of you, as you were made aware of the potential budget shortfall at Lincoln, have been advocating in various ways for support of our school. Thank you and please continue these efforts—your voice is incredibly powerful.
It is my goal to share information with you regarding the operations and financial state of the school in a timely and transparent manner. We are currently developing our budget for the 2022-23 school year. DPS funds each school according to the projected number of students that will attend the coming school year. Enrollment in Denver has declined in recent years partly due to the pandemic and fewer school-ages children living in the neighborhood and in the city. Nearly all DPS schools are facing similar —and in some cases more dire— budget shortfalls this year.
Despite PTSA support—for which we are very grateful—and initial COVID stimulus funds, we are facing a deficit of nearly $200,000. I am applying for budget assistance to reduce the impact of this deficit on our school and we will be working with our District and community to do everything we can to cover all of these projected budget cuts and prevent this situation in the future.
Working with the School Leadership Team and the Collaborative Schools Committee (CSC), possible scenarios of reductions within the school were reviewed with the intent of reaching a balanced budget. Due to the impact that the proposed changes would have on our students, the CSC did not approve the budget (See PTSA website and Lincoln App (under Notifications) for more information and to access the CSC’s letter of dissent). Nevertheless, I was required to submit a balanced budget to the district yesterday.
Budget assistance, if approved, will reduce our funding gap and help us to retain ALL of our critical staff and para support. We will be notified on February 10th if the application is approved. In addition to budget assistance, our incredible community is working on other plans to prevent any reductions at Lincoln: I look forward to sharing them with all of you next week.
I will host a Town Hall meeting at 8pm on Monday, January 31st to provide more information about our budget and our plans moving forward. The PTSA meeting this month will take place at 8pm on Tuesday, February 1st and will be a follow-up opportunity for parents and families to ask additional questions and join efforts to increase support for funding at Lincoln and schools facing similar issues.
Again, I apologize for the stress and concern that this situation brings and for not addressing this situation in this morning’s Ledger and previous communication. Thank you for supporting Lincoln as we work together to keep and support our beloved staff, programs and services for next school year and for years to come. Our kids deserve nothing short of a thriving staff and robust programs and I am working tirelessly to ensure that this is the environment we continue to build and sustain here at Lincoln Elementary School.
In gratitude-
Emily Clark – Principal