Last week, the Senate Finance Committee cut $47 million from education formula funding in addition to the cuts already proposed by the Governor and the House. The Senate cuts alone are equivalent of a $200 cut to the BSA. (Base Student Allocation)

You read that right!

These are devastating cuts that will directly impact our students in the classroom. Imagine: larger class sizes and no sports, art, or music programs. These cuts to public education will result in the loss of hundreds of employees and have a devastating impact on our children’s future as well as the economy of each our communities. We cannot solve our state’s fiscal problem on the backs of our children.

Read more and see how you can have your voice heard here:  Education Action Alert

 Students who did the Costa Rica intensive: We will meet this Wednesday at lunch to put together a package for Daniel and the Leaf Cutter Project students and to exchange trip pictures — bring your flash drive! We also need to make a plan for the end of year presentation. Bring your lunch!

Activity Night is this Friday. Doors open at 9pm and will be closed at 10. Permission slips are due tomorrow to the office.

Seniors: Final planning for Activity Night is Tuesday at 12:00 in Leigh Anne’s room. Also we will set up for Acrivity Night at 8:00 on Friday. Please help make this a great school event.

All Sophomores, reminder to please to turn in your permission slips for Sophomore Day by Tuesday, April 7, only less than half have been received so far.

 Students who did the Costa Rica intensive: We will meet this Wednesday at lunch to put together a package for Daniel and the Leaf Cutter Project students and to exchange trip pictures — bring your flash drive! We also need to make a plan for the end of year presentation. Bring your lunch!

Activity Night is this Friday. Doors open at 9pm and will be closed at 10. Permission slips are due tomorrow to the office.

Seniors: Final planning for Activity Night is Tuesday at 12:00 in Leigh Anne’s room. Also we will set up for Acrivity Night at 8:00 on Friday. Please help make this a great school event.

All Sophomores, reminder to please to turn in your permission slips for Sophomore Day by Tuesday, April 7, only less than half have been received so far.

Funds for Anchorage School District-ASD (which pays for Steller teachers and curriculum, heat, building, etc) comes from the state and the municipality (and a small amount from the federal government)

• The senate in the legislature just proposed additional cuts of $47.6M to House Bill 72 (HB 72), and this is on top of the $32M in cuts that Governor Walker proposed. ASD made its budget for next year based on the bill passed last year HB278 which was supposed to secure funds (albeit modest, and not keeping up with inflation the third year) for three years.  
• If the current bill goes through as it is now, it will mean potentially 300 positions cut.  And proportionately much worse for other districts without the cushion of a bigger cash fund. 
• If the bill restores the 47.6M in cuts but keeps the cuts that the governor proposed to education, it would mean approximately 32 positions or so cut.
• Additionally the bank account with one year’s worth of education funding will be zeroed out, the way the current bill reads.  Essentially they will be taking the forward fund account to pay for next year with no plan for the following year.
• If ever you were to advocate for public education, now is the time!  Some legislators are seizing this very difficult financial times to make draconian cuts knowing that it will NOT balance the budget.  In fact there may be some adverse effects with so many firing in so many communities at this point.
• Please see this link for the latest from ASD http://www.adn.com/article/20150404/anchorage-school-board-review-list-potential-budget-cuts
• Please like Great Alaska Schools Anchorage on Facebook for more information. Also, Alaska PTA is a good source for information and calls to action.
• Attached, please find a list of phone numbers and expected areas of education which will suffer cuts.
• Feel free to call Alyse Galvin 884-2299 if you have questions.

Soup is ON THIS FRIDAY, 4/10 and Prep day is this Thursday  4/9

HELPERS WANTED: Please come in for an hour or so on Thursday, anytime 2-4pm or Friday 9am-12:45pm

Please call Alyse Galvin with any questions.  907-884-2299

Want to know what is being served?  Remember to like Souper Steller Facebook page.  We usually post menu on Thursday!

Two of our Steller Students have recently been featured in the TV news.

View Peyton W and his carpentry skills here:  Spotlight On Youth Skills

And Annie T and her design competition here:  Pupil + Paper Scholarship Competition

Independent Semester seniors need your help for a project at the Activity Night on April 10^th—that is next Friday!

Students attending the Activity night will be constructing blankets for cats sheltered at the SPCA and we need raw materials-specifically yards of fleece (doesn’t matter how thick or thin the polyester fleece is, or what color). The size we need though is important….30” x 48”

If you have this size in your closets- we would love to use it for this project. We need it by Wednesday, April 8^th! There is a basket in the office for collecting donations.

Thank you—Independent Semester students and all the kitties that will have warm beds….

Grant Committee awarded the following for spring semester 2015:

Student sponsored proposals:

Eli M                        $1,002 for a water bottle filling station at Steller.

Emily G             $1,000 for the current sophomore class to do an overnight trip to the Sea Life Center at the beginning of their junior year during the first few days of school.

Hannah E            $750 for a Visa application to spend the year in Costa Rica enrolled in American Field Service (AFS).

Staff sponsored proposals:

Ken Varee            $3600 for a quality production video camera to be used for production classes, Steller events and to support publicity for Steller via the website or other digital media.