Regarding Budgeting

Hi friends,

You may have read the email that Dr. Veltri sent early Friday evening, where it is suggested that you were instructed not to fill out the administration survey.

To be clear, we believe that generating as many ideas and as much input as possible is to everyone's benefit as we go through budgeting. We also believe that how you offer feedback is up to you, as is the mechanism that you use to deliver that feedback. Short answer: do the survey if that's what your conscience tells you to do. If you'd rather not, that's also a legitimate choice.

The piece that I'd like you all to remember is that during the whole budgeting process we all have a role to play. The role of the MLEA is to save jobs and keep working conditions as positive and productive as they can be, and when we are asked to consider things like eliminating music, eliminating art, raising class size, and altering your health insurance, then of course our role is to push back and passionately advocate for your interests. The administration's role is up to them to define.

My great hope as we develop the budget for next year is that all of us--the 12 administrators, the 128 members of the Medical Lake Education Association, and the many members of the PSE, the coaches, along with all the non-represented staff--can get to the other side of this budget crisis with minimal impact on the kids and employees. I truly believe that we have the potential to not only survive this crisis but thrive during it by demonstrating to the community at large that we have the moral courage to make responsible choices about how we spend their tax dollars.

That's my goal, and that's the role that the Medical Lake EA will play during
budgeting.

I hope that all the other parties at budgeting will also choose to play their role
in a positive manner.

In solidarity,

--Ryan and the MLEA Exec Board--