Superintendent’s Message

The fall has been a great success at Woodlake High. Students are excelling in academics and athletics as you have come to expect. We are still awaiting final completion of our new Student Event Center, but in the meantime, it is being used for serving meals, and our teams are getting lots of practice time on the new gym floor. We are expecting the bleachers to be installed during the Christmas break and the cafeteria furniture to arrive early in December.

The news from Sacramento continues to be grim as the financial planners look ahead to the next three to four years. While we did suffer midyear cuts for the past two years, it does not look likely at this time for the 2003-2004 school year. We are hearing that there may be cuts in K-12 funding next budget year and that some new programs may be added to the Proposition 98 funding pot. This would have a negative impact on the amount of money we will have next year to spend on our students. In the meantime, we have trimmed our local budget by cutting expenses and personnel. It will be difficult to insulate our programs from further cuts next year. That is why your support of the WHS Foundation is so important. The Foundation provides opportunities for our Woodlake High students and graduates that many high schools cannot offer. Thank you for your continued support. If you have an opportunity to speak with our local legislators and would like more information on how the state budget crisis has affected school funding, please call me at 564-8081 Ext. 11, I would be happy to share budget information with you.

Dr. Steve Tietjen
Superintendent, Woodlake Union School District

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