Lynn Donches' Budget Games

At the last East Penn School Board meeting, School Board Director, Lynn Donches, recommended almost $850,000 in cuts to the administration’s 0% tax increase budget.  Her cuts were reckless and jeopardized the future of our children.  Most disturbing was that she did not understand or seek to find out how her proposed cuts would impact the children of the district.  When asked directly if she knew what programs were impacted by her cuts, she admitted that she did not.  As it turns out, her cuts were wide and deep and included cuts to charter school students (costs mandated by law), special education programming (also mandated by law), athletic teams, maintenance, and much, much more.
 
This is not the first time Ms. Donches has proposed cuts without understanding the consequences.  Last year, Ms. Donches proposed eliminating one of the assistant principal positions at the high school.  Part of her rational was that she did not know what the assistant principals did— a clear example of cut first and ask questions later.

Over the past year, Ms. Donches spent a great deal of time opposing a cut in last year’s budget that was made without adequate discussion of the consequences, yet this is exactly what she proposed this year.  How confusing!  Does she really want improvements, or does she just support controversy that damages the reputation and quality of our schools?

Ms. Donches is playing an irresponsible and ideological political game using our children as pawns.  It’s time to say “No more!”

Hillary Smith
Lower Macungie Resident
Parent of 3