We would propose that before we cut where the kids are concerned we start cutting in other ways. We are guessing that if we had an audit there would be all kinds of funds that we could find that could be better spent.

The state Legislature needs to take a closer look at where they are sending the funds more closely. We are definitely in a mess with this economy. The state could do a better job of allotting the monies spent at the school levels and spend less in other areas.

Perhaps the pay cuts should start with the state Legislature. Cut out their extras such as cars, clothing, dinners, etc.

Many people across this nation are taking pay cuts to save their jobs. We would hate to be in the position that they are in making these decisions, but they have got to really take a hard look at the mess that could be caused in our futures when we take away the benefits from the children.

They are the future.

Surely they have or have had children, they have grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends. The children need to come first in this economy.

Don’t let them down!

We hear over and over again about cuts being made in the schools. But what we are not hearing is what are you doing to make cuts at the district Level? When asked this question at a meeting at Peoria High School, Dr. Santarelli didn’t answer the question.

How about cutting any district cell phones, clothing allowances, gas allowances, cars, etc.? If anyone is receiving these benefits then start by cutting those. Many of the people in the DAC are making six figure salaries.

Maybe they could take a pay cut? Do we need as many people at the district level? We understand that without the district workers the schools wouldn’t function. They do play an important part! Maybe you could consider a four day work week at the DAC during the school year.

Cut out any travel at the district’s expense. At this point none of it is necessary.

Cut out the "double dippers". It is silly to pay retirement to someone and then hire them back again. We understand that sometimes this is cheaper because there are no benefits to be paid. We also understand that these are separate funds. But it is still not the answer. You could move teachers/staff around or promote existing tenure staff and the ones you are letting go could be still have jobs.

Do not accept any out of district variances unless there is some sort of compensation allotted. Our classroom sizes don’t need to be made bigger with kids who don’t belong there with less teachers. If these people chose to move out of the district they need to go to the schools by their homes.

Regulate the A/C units in all buildings and set them at a certain temperature. Many business employee’s don’t regulate their own temperatures. It doesn’t need to be as cool in the classrooms and buildings as it is. Raise the temperature that they are set at. Lock up the controls so that only certain people can adjust the temps. Many children often complain that they need to take a jacket in the hotter seasons because their classrooms are to cold.

Remove all fridges and microwaves from the classrooms. These are a luxury. Use the ones in the staff lounge. This will cut down on the electricity used. Turn off all of the computers and lights in the evening.

Cut back on the lighting in the classroom. Some of them are far to bright and many teachers don’t even turn them all on.

Create some kind of bulk mailing system. Or better yet go paperless and e-mail. At the beginning of the school year everyone asks for the parents e-mail addresses. Have them say if they would prefer to receive e-mails instead of paper.

Many times we receive the same letter in the mail or from the classroom for several children in the same family. If you have two high school students only mail home one letter (for example reminders for the AIMS testing) to the same address. If you have more than one grade school student give the oldest child the letter (such as PTSO info).

We receive many of these daily and they go straight in to the recycle bins. One per family would be great.

Also, the letter from the nurse informing us of strep throat or lice are nice but cut those down my making the notice several times on one sheet and cutting the sheet. We don’t need a whole page informing us. This would cut back on the paper usage.

Quit spending money on unused textbooks. Most of the information is now found on line. Most of the teachers don’t use textbooks anyways. They are just wasting paper and space in the class.

Base office staff on size of the school. For example, just because a school has three secretaries and three principals doesn’t mean a school with far less children need that many. Base them on a student to adult ratio.

Turn of all of the TVs that are in the classroom after the morning announcements. (Do not purchase any more that are needed..just get rid of them altogether. We used to listen to the announcements at Copperwood, Peoria and many other schools). Add a clock that runs on batteries.

This will help children learn how to tell time. These TVs are many times a distraction more than a help to the teachers anyway and over all may be sucking up a lot of energy.

Hold off on any renovations. Rumor has it that Peoria High is set for some major remodeling. Save as much money on these types of projects until our district is in a better financial situation.

Don’t over seed the lawns, except the play ground areas. Green lawns are beautiful but not necessary. This would cut costs in the seeding, watering and maintenance.

Instead of cutting out the extra activities such as sports and clubs, add a small participation fee. Limit transportation for these sporting events to in our county only. Far away sporting events on charter buses are not necessary. When we were kids we made many of these trips on very uncomfortable but affordable school buses. Add a small admission fee to these events to cover the expenses.

If in the event of a state championship do not buy the coaches fancy rings full of gold and diamonds. These are completely unnecessary.

Get rid of the career ladders. Just spend the money on the teachers.

Cut out all of the field trips. Many of these field trips are really not necessary and add an extra cost to the parents as well. If teachers want to take their kids for an outing have them walk to the park. Most schools have a park very close to them.

There is talk of getting rid of all-day kindergarten. Doing this will add more bus runs to the school. Does one expense outweigh the other? There could be a fee for all-day kindergarten again.

Fill up the buses. Many times we see a special education bus with 2-4 kids in them with a driver and an aide. Fill up those buses. It may make the route longer but it will cut out the cost in the long run. For the smaller runs use vans. These would be much more economic to use and easier to fill up.

Start in the district office and everyone take a pay cut (teachers take a smaller cut than the higher ups). I wonder if everyone would rather take a small pay cut than have their friends out of jobs, larger classroom sizes, less office staff, and more stress.

We understand there is tenure ... but some of the "more experienced" teachers are really bad! Just because they have been there longer they are more secure. This isn’t right. If/when you cut teachers, don’t go by one or two years. Go by how successful they are, if they have bad reviews, complaints, etc.

Cutting our teachers and increasing our class sizes isn’t the answer.

Extending our school hours into four school days isn’t the answer. We don’t know many children who could sit in a classroom longer than they do today. Many parents have to work to survive in this economy. They can’t afford the expense of having their children home on that fifth day and the childcare expense. There are many reasons why this would be a terrible choice.

We think that cutting where our children are concerned is a dangerous game. When you mess with our children you are messing with our future. These will be our future teachers, doctors, scientists and presidents. Do you want them to be under educated? Do you want them to have just squeaked by because their elders made bad choices on their behalf?

We are adults and we have made the decisions that we have made. It is not the kids’ fault! It is time for those who have made those decisions to step up and take the hit.

The bottom line is no one is more important than the other. If we can cut costs in other ways and let people keep their jobs, that would be the best solution!