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Superintendent urges advocacy on state health benefits, pre-K expansion and warns of federal cuts
Summary
Superintendent Dyer listed district legislative priorities—pre-K expansion pilot, QBE modernization, teacher pay beyond step 21—and urged advocacy for state health-benefit relief after reporting district health costs rising from roughly $4.5 million to $9.9 million; he also warned of proposed federal cuts to Title programs and urged public comment on the future of E-rate funding.
Dyer outlined state priorities the board intends to advocate for this year: expanding pre-K (including exploring pre-K-3 pilots), QBE modernization with a poverty weight and additional mental-health funding, and raising teacher pay steps above step 21. He framed these as important to support students and retain veteran teachers.
On benefits and federal funding, Dyer said the district’s state-health-benefit cost to the general fund grew from about $4,500,000 per year to a projected $9,900,000, creating an estimated near-$4,000,000 opportunity cost for classroom spending. He warned of a House budget proposal that included an $8,100,000,000 reduction to Title programs and urged constituents to submit comments to protect E-rate funding, noting the district received $1,972,774.15 in E-rate this year.
