Woodridge Superintendent Discusses Road Ahead Following Levy Passage

Dear Community Members,

Thank YOU! In these challenging times, we acknowledge the sacrifice that residents and businesses continue to make to provide the district with the tools necessary to give Woodridge students the opportunities that a first-class education requires. A new levy is, indeed, a sacrifice for all of you. This levy will play a significant role in our ability to preserve the traditions of excellence that we have all come to expect.

Even with these new funds, we will continue to operate with a keen focus on the bottom line. We will conserve where possible, share services with other entities, and seek additional cost savings measures to ensure that we are good stewards of your trust. We will adjust our budget for the coming school year as necessary to begin saving even more now in an effort to stretch the new levy for as many years as possible. We recognize that the economic realities we all face will require us to do the business of schooling differently. To that end, we will seek community input and support as we look at new ways of doing our work. We are anxious to see what changes come in the new state funding models being talked about for next year.

We are grateful to the hundreds of volunteers and contributors who have made this levy campaign so successful. Led by community member and district parent, Scott Karlo, our Levy Committee members devoted countless hours to spread the word and encourage support. They took time out of their busy schedules to knock on doors, fundraise, install yard signs, write letters, make phone calls, or to have a conversation with a neighbor about why they support the schools. It is because of these types of efforts that Issue 71 was successful.

Whether you were for the levy or against it, it is now time for us to come together to ensure that our students have the very best educational opportunities. Join us in that work. Attend a Board meeting. Volunteer in our schools. We can’t do it alone. Our academic and athletic successes over the years demonstrate our ongoing commitment to excellence. Together, we remain focused on our district vision. The Woodridge Local Schools: Guiding our Youth, Planning for the Future, Learning for a Lifetime.

-Walter Davis

Superintendent, Woodridge Local Schools