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Southmoor Elementary

School Budget Planning Engagement

01/29/25, 4:01 PM

Dear Southmoor Community,

 

We invite you to attend our upcoming Collaborative School Committee (CSC) meeting, where we will focus on the important topic of the school budget for the next academic year. Your involvement and voice are vital in ensuring our resources align with the needs of our students and families.  This meeting will provide an opportunity to stay informed and share insights as part of our school community. 

 

📅 Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025

🕒 Time: 5:00 - 6:30

📍 Location: Southmoor Elementary School Library

To help you prepare and understand your role in this process, we have compiled resources below:

 

Meaningful Engagement

The school budget reflects our shared priorities and goals.  Our collective goal is to align resources with student needs and school priorities and support equitable opportunities for all students.  At Southmoor Elementary, we value the collective voice of our school community—families, teachers, and staff—in shaping a budget that supports student success. We also acknowledge that budget planning can be complex, and requires a nuanced understanding of the Denver Public Schools process and the school’s established priorities and plans. To ensure meaningful and collaborative participation in this important process, we have established the following guidelines based on the Denver Public Schools (DPS) budget guidelines.

To create a productive and inclusive budget process, we ask the community to:

  • Stay Informed: The process can be complicated, and understanding how budgets are decided can better help you understand what is--and what is not--possible for us to include in the budget.   Review the following resources for your information:

  • Engage Effectively:  At Southmoor, families can get involved in the school budget process by joining or attending meetings of the Collaborative School Committee (CSC) and/or sharing feedback and questions through your CSC representatives (see below for contact information).  Effective engagement also means that the community:

    • Ask Questions: Seek clarification on the budget process, decisions, or constraints during CSC meetings or via direct communication with your CSC representatives. Demonstrate a balance between inquiry and advocacy.

    • Be Respectful: Approach discussions with respect and a shared commitment to supporting all students.

    • Focus on Equity: Prioritize decisions that address the diverse needs of our student population, including multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and other underserved groups.



Commitment to Transparency

Southmoor Elementary is committed to sharing updates and decisions throughout the process as transparency is a critical part of fostering trust and understanding.  We encourage all community members to actively participate in discussions throughout the year and work together to ensure our budget reflects the values and needs of our school.  

 

Roles and Responsibilities

Collaborative School Committee (CSC)

  • Support the Process: Facilitate engagement opportunities to share perspectives and insights.

  • Provide Community Representation: ensure that the views, interests, and priorities of the broader Southmoor community (students, staff, and families) are shared and considered.

  • Communicate Transparently: Share budget details, constraints, and how decisions align with school goals and DPS guidelines.

  • Make Final Recommendations: Collaborate with stakeholders to finalize budget priorities and allocations.

Families

  • Share Perspective and Collaborate: Work with the Collaborative School Committee to share perspectives on priorities that best support students, such as academic programs, social-emotional learning, extracurricular activities, or other needs.

  • Participate in Discussions: Attend budget engagement meetings and events to learn about the process and to be informed to ensure that decisions are inclusive of the entire community’s needs. You can share your perspective and insights for recommendation and representation to the CSC 

Teachers and Staff

  • Identify Needs: Collaborate with colleagues to highlight classroom, programmatic, and instructional priorities that are in alignment with the school strategic plan, and unified improvement plan to be responsive to the school’s emerging needs.  

  • Provide Expertise: Share insights into the resources and supports that will have the greatest impact on student learning and well-being through an evidence-based approach rather than driven by personal interests and bias.  You can share your perspective and insights for recommendation and representation to the CSC.

 

Your engagement is key to building a school environment where every student can thrive. We hope to see you there and look forward to your input as we plan for the future.  Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Southmoor!

 

In service of the most important person in the world - YOUR CHILD, 

 

Jonell Pineda

Principal

Southmoor Elementary School

3755 South Magnolia Way, Denver, CO 80237

720-424-3930 | Fax: 720-424-3955





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