Hoover School Community
Information Network (HSCIN)

Contact  HSCIN@HSCIN.org


Welcome

About Us

Finance Fact of the Day - NEW!

Proration News - NEW!

How Our Money Is Being Spent - NEW!

Accountability and Data Reports   
     Archives

Alabama - State Information

Board of Directors  (HSCIN)

Board of Education

City of Hoover Information

Community Concerns

Engaging Families for Educators

Enrichment

Financial Info

Hoover City Information

Math Information

Newsletters

Parent Resources

Special Education

Superintendent Information

Survey

Transitions

What's New

Yes We Can! Alabama

Your Questions Answered

Zoning Update

 

Contact Us 

Like what you see?  Here's how you can support our Network

 

hit tracker
If you would like the information on this page sent directly to you each week, click here

Mayor Tony Petelos Reveals His Desire to Cut Funding for Hoover Schools - posted 06/28/09

Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos Releases Budget Proposal with No Money for Schools - Breaking News, Friday, June 26, The Birmingham News

Hoover Draft Budget Pegs 8.5% Drop in Revenue - June 27, The Birmingham News

Hoover City Proposed Budget FY09 and FY10

From the article:  "Nine months into the fiscal year, Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos has submitted a budget proposal to the City Council that would eliminate all funding for the Hoover school system for this year and the next."

The Council will meet to vote on the Mayor's budget proposal on Monday, July 6, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 

Just a quick historical note:  in December of 2004, just prior to Winter/Christmas break, this Council (minus Mr. Greene) and this mayor changed the way the city funds the schools.  The City Council used to appropriate 16% of sales tax revenue to our school system.  Saying that the city was strapped and needed the additional money, the Council stole $6.2 million from the school system in FY05, although they promised to "give it back"....they never did.

The Council instead decided to fund the schools with a one-time contribution (paid in monthly installments) of $7.5 million in FY06.  The contribution in FY06 was in addition to what is commonly referred to as "front door fees", which is a fee the city collects for every house that is built in Hoover.   The total collected for "front door fees" in FY06 was $1.6 million, bringing the total City Council contribution to $9.1 million.  If the prior funding structure had been used, the contribution would have exceeded $10 million.

However, when the Council contribution of $7.5 million was made for FY07, the "front door fees" were a part of that $7.5 million.  The Council then appropriated $7.5 million for FY08, again including the "front door fees" instead of making the appropriating in addition to them.

Superintendent Andy Craig, anticipating a drop in revenues for the City of Hoover, believed the City would appropriate $7.1 million for our community schools in FY09.  (See story below from May for more details.)

Contact information for your Hoover City Council members is found here.

It is our hope that Mr. Craig will make it clear to this City Council and Mayor and to those who care about our Hoover City School system exactly what this funding cut will mean to the schoolchildren and employees of the Hoover City School system.  Mr. Craig and Chief School Financial Officer Cathy Antee, along with our Council-appointed Board of Education are in the best position to tell all of us what impact this funding cut will have on our school system.

Local support is crucial to maintaining excellence in our public school system.  Local support, financial and otherwise, by your local government officials is crucial in maintaining priorities in your city.  Local support is what gives school systems math teams and athletic additions and supplements for teachers and additional teacher units to keep class sizes down.

Costs to Fund Local Teacher Units Up, Effects on Class Size Uncertain - HSCIN web site, January 11, 2009


Final Draft of Hoover Policy Manual - posted 07/07/09


Hoover City Council Still Has Contributed No Money to Hoover Schools for FY09 - posted 05/12/09

To date, the Hoover City Council has given no money for Hoover City Schools for the current fiscal year.  The Board of Education approved a budget in September that itemized an expected $7 million contribution from the Council.  No monies have been given to the schools.

Mayor Petelos has stated that the city is operating under the FY08 budget.  That budget included a $7.5 million contribution to our community's schools.  But no funds have been distributed to the schools.

According to Superintendent Andy Craig, Hoover City Schools are in an "operational hole" due to local funding being lower than expected.  He made this statement at the April 2009 work session of the Board of Education.  Yet Mr. Craig has made no public overtures asking the Council to release the funds.

Only Board member Earl Cooper has made such a statement, when he asked Councilman Gene Smith, at the March 2009 Board meeting when the City Council is expected to approve their FY09 budget.  Mr. Smith's answer was that he wasn't sure, possibly April.  Mr. Cooper commented, "oh good, just in time for the end of school."

$7 million might help prevent workers from being laid off.  But still no money from the City Council.


District Accreditation Report from AdvancEd - posted 06/28/09


Hoover Schools Lay Off Workers for First Time in 20 Years - posted 05/12/09

Hoover School Board Votes to Lay Off 16 Bus Drivers - May 12, The Birmingham News


How Transportation Changes Will Affect Hoover High - posted 05/12/09

Click here to read Hoover City Schools official press release.


HSCIN Site Overhaul - posted 04/28/09

The HSCIN is planning a complete web site overhaul in the coming weeks.  The original goal of the HSCIN was to engage Hoover's families in our children's education.  As such, we intend to relinquish some of our "watchdog" type duties and work to give families better information on how to engage in our children's education, similar to the newsletters we developed at the beginning of this school year.

If you have any suggestions for us as we work to focus more closely on our original mission, please let us know at HSCIN@HSCIN.org


Finance Fact of the Day


Recent News Articles and Newsletters

PLEASE NOTE al.com posts the Wednesday Hoover News section at this link.

Hoover Coalition Scores $243K for Drug Prevention - June 24, The Birmingham News

Hoover Teachers Get Educational Tools Worth Nearly $15,000 - June 24, The Birmingham News

School Days Over, But Berry Still Hub of Activities - June 24, The Birmingham News

Gwin Students Harvest Life's Lessons in Three Sisters Garden - June 24, The Birmingham News

Turnover Down in Hoover Schools - June 17, The Birmingham News

Survey of Students Find Few Surprises Except One:  Most Have Computers at Home - June 10, The Birmingham News

Our View:  A Survey of Alabama's Public School Systems' Web Sites Shows Good News, But Also Some Areas Needing Work - Editorial - June 4, The Birmingham News

Harper Elected Hoover Parent Teacher Council President - June 4, The Birmingham News

Thanks For Keeping Those Buses Rolling - Jon Anderson - June 3, The Birmingham News

Registration to Trade Long Lines for Log-In - June 3, The Birmingham News

Shelby Schools Tops in Online Data - June 2, The Birmingham News

High Stakes Testing Cut in Half for Alabama Elementary Schools - June 1, The Birmingham News

Hoover School Administrators Grapple with Funding - May 30, The Birmingham News

City of Hoover Not Making Regular Payments to Schools - Jon Anderson - May 30, The Birmingham News

Silence Is Golden - Editorial - May 30, The Birmingham News

Hoover School Board Smartly Drops Proposal to End Policy of Admitting Children of School Employees Who Live Outside the City - Editorial - May 27, The Birmingham News

Classroom Clips - May 27, The Birmingham News

Katrina Evacuee Leaves Hoover Schools for Harvard - May 27, The Birmingham News

Hoover's Suzy Baker Proud of Her Legacy on School Board - May 27, The Birmingham News

Hoover School Board Considers Contract Extension for Superintendent Andy Craig - May 17, The Birmingham News

If you would like to have Updates on this site delivered to your e-mail address, click hereAlso on that page is an archive of the What's New e-mails that have been sent.

   

 

Local Quick Links

2009-2010 School Calendar
al.com Hoover News
Alabama Kids Count Book
Alabama School Community Information Network
Budget Guide

Board Meeting Recaps
Class Size Reports

City of Hoover
Good News
H-News Blog

Hoover Chamber

Hoover City Council
Hoover City Schools
Hoover Police Dept
School Picture Gallery
Survey
Stanford Test Comparisons
 

Important Dates

July 9 - Board Work Session,
5:30 p.m.

July 13 - Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Click to view the District Calendar for Julyl

Newsletters

August 2008 - Starting the School Year Right
September 2008 - Getting Ready for Parent-Teacher Conferences
October 2008 - PTO Meetings/Concerns about the First Report Card

Online Forums

PTO Today
THE Hoover Forum
al.com Hoover Forum
Bluff Park
Shades Mountain

Lake Cyrus

Blogs and Sites

Peyton Wolcott
ParentAdvocates.org

Susan O'Hanian
Birmingham News' Extra Credit Education Blog
Betsy Rogers
Jon Anderson
Family Friendly Schools
Parent Institute
The Education Gadfly
Mathematically Correct
Mathematically Sane
Eduwonk.com
Channel 10 Education Rick Garlikov

Have one to suggest? 
Send it to us.

Donate

  through PayPal

 

 

About Our Surveys

The HSCIN utilizes QuestionPro to host our surveys.

 

This website is not affiliated with Hoover City Schools or the Hoover City Board of Education.  HSCIN is solely responsible for its content.  Links to outside sources of information are not endorsed by the HSCIN, rather are included for informational purposes only.