Eastmont has an Award-winning financial team as proven by the fact that Executive Director Cindy Ulrich, district employees, and the school board received the Washington State Auditor’s Stewardship Award this year for accountability, risk management, compliance to regulations, daily operations and use of public funding. Joining them would be an opportunity to continue that legacy of using our resources wisely to maintain budgets and state compliance.
Ever changing legislation and funding shortages are not a new issue. It is the responsibility of the school board to make the best choices for all our students with the resources that are available and ensure that those resources continue to be used appropriately. It is also our responsibility to look for alternative options as well to provide the best for every student. There is research showing that experiential learning can be a benefit to limited budgets.
This will be a challenging task. It will require conscious effort to listen and respect the priorities of the district as a whole, the willingness to learn from those that have successfully handled these challenges in the past and a firm commitment to maintaining a standard of excellence for all Eastmont students. My experience balancing budgets while meeting state regulations gives me the experience needed to serve both the students’ needs and the taxpayers. Comparing cost over value, considering the long-term, and respecting the needs of others is an import piece of this process.
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.