TRIS (Theodore Robinsin Middle School) and Levi Leonard Focus Groups meet tonight

Check the school schedule for these two meetings tonight. The TRIS meets at 6:00PM at the TRIS conference room.

I had the pleasure of attending the TRIS focus budget group meeting last week. One of the members did bring small DOVE bars, but I pledge this did not influence my reporting of the meeting.

First the larger picture: Of 50 NEW students expected to be enrolled next year in Evanville Schools----43 of this increase is going to occur at the TRIS. (There will de a decline of 18 in the Middle School The TRIS is where the stress is going to occur.

The Administration has proposed two alternatives for the focus group to consider---either a "Status quo" amount of $131,742 or a 4% Increase of $237,174.

The problem of course with the status quo is that given the assumption that the group was asked to assume, namely that each teacher would cost $70,000, they would be unable to even hire two teachers to cope with the 43 student increase.

The TRIS sub group meets again tonight at 6:00PM. I am unsure whether the DOVE bars will be available again. HOWEVER----I do hope that the allocation of funds of the Evansville School District which will have a 24% increase in Tax levy due to increase in construction etc. will allocate the increase funds to meet the increase student needs as the number one priority. Currently, it seems to The Observer that the allocation is overweighted to the high school, which will not experience any material increase in enrollment---- at least according to how I read the applied population study--for the next ten years.

Stay tuned to The Evansville Observer as we get more details in the January Evansville School Board meeting.