On Oct. 8 at 6 p.m., County-Council is hosting a meeting about Sequestration at Northside Middle School. Dr. Lange is requesting that as many parents as possible attend this meeting for a discussion on this and other budget issues. This is an important topic, and we need to band together and send a message to Washington.

– Submitted by Penn Forest Parents

Keep reading for more information about sequestration.

Sequestration is the automatic, across the board cuts in federal spending that were triggered when Congress failed to produce a budget plan identifying budgetary savings of at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years in 2012. These cuts will be effective in January 2013 for education and are estimated to be between 7.8 percent and 9.1 percent.

• Federal funds are used almost exclusively for personnel costs in our school system
• Cuts will come in the middle of a school year (2013-14)
• Mid-year cuts could result in employee layoffs in the middle of the school year with significant disruption to classrooms or services that can only be offered to students for part of a school year
• Federal education funds are focused on disadvantaged students and students with disabilities so the most vulnerable students will be affected by these cuts
• Cuts are definite whether by sequestration or Congressional action
• Sequestration cuts all programs without considering demand, effectiveness, or return on investment. This is poor business practice and poor financial vision.
• Efforts to exempt portions of the federal budget (i.e. defense) simply amplify the severity of the cuts on education
• Sequestration is the direct result of Congress creating the trigger. If we get to sequestration, it is because Congress failed to act on the budgetary savings they charged themselves with finding. They went home without doing their job.

Financial Impact on Roanoke County Schools:

• $395,000 to $461,000 in cuts to federal funds for Title I (disadvantaged students), Title II (training), IDEA (students with disabilities), and Career and Technical education.
• Cuts of this magnitude will result in loss of jobs and/or cuts in programs for students.