From the Desk of Michael Green

With the collapse of the global economy so many families and students are hurting economically with lost jobs, reduced hours, and in some cases, lost homes.   For many of the kids in our schools, school becomes a refuge of stability in an uncertain world.  We are staying focused on the important priority of preparing students for a future in which the economy is once again robust.  We will stay firm in our commitment to provide a top-quality education for the children of Woodland and the Lewis River Valley.  They will continue to be our first priority.

Washington State is projecting that over the next two years there will be a shortfall of revenues, below current program levels, of an excess of $8.4 billion.  Public School spending makes up for over 40% of the state's general fund expenditures.  Because of these huge shortfalls in revenue, we are anticipating SUBSTANTIAL cuts to our general fund budget over the next two years.  We will keep our focus on the impact to students and families as we make necessary cuts.

In an effort to be thorough, thoughtful, and creative in identifying adjustments that must be made in order to operate your schools in a fiscally responsible fashion, I am working with a budget advisory team.  This team is a group of fifteen people representing the community, parents, staff, administration and school board in an effort to study our operations and generate a list of options for consideration by the school board.  My number one priority is kids and the impact of any decisions on them.

In order to provide information to everyone who is interested, I have begun a blog that will be updated regularly as we progress through the budget development process.  This blog is accessible by clicking on the link to the left.  You may subscribe to the RSS feed from the blog page.

From the blog page you may also leave comments suggestions and ideas for consideration by the Budget Advisory Team and school directors.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns and ideas. I can be reached by email at greenm@woodlandschools.org or by telephone at 360.225.9451.

For all the kids,
Michael Green