The Board of Education has decided to place a $6 million mill levy or $1,000 per pupil override on the November 2011 ballot.

We believe that a quality public school system is the heart of this community. Rebuilding our local economy requires a strong educational system and community investment to attract new business and jobs and retain and grow existing businesses.

ECS is a state and national leader in 21st century education. We know this because we’ve:

• Been successful in recruiting and retaining highly-qualified and knowledgeable educators.
• Been one of the first districts in the country to abolish the lock-step salary schedule and successfully implement a pay-for-performance system nearly a decade before it’s become fashionable.
• Established a record of high student achievement (with data to support this claim).
• Made significant and measurable progress in closing the achievement gap that exists between minority students and non-minority students.
• Emerged as a national leader in instructional development and teacher practices.

ECS is paving the way for innovation, reform and accomplishment in public education today. Despite challenging demographics, a relatively young teaching staff, significant teacher turnover, high cost of living, declining budgets and competition from private and charter schools ECS has maintained a strong upward path of achievement.

Continued cuts in services and funding will only cause us to lose momentum on the progress we’ve made.