Florida principal seeks donations from parents to help balance budget cuts

By Leslie Postal
The Orlando Sentinel
(MCT)

ORLANDO, Fla. _ Faced with slashing half a million dollars from his budget, an Orange County, Fla., elementary-school principal turned to fundraising but went way beyond the traditional wrapping paper and cookie sales. He asked parents to chip in $500 per child so the school could avoid laying off teachers in the coming months.

Trevor Honohan, principal of Audubon Park Elementary, sent his fundraising plea to parents Thursday _ even suggesting naming rights to the school could be sold for "large financial contribution."

In his letter, he said Audubon is slated to lose $500,000, or the equivalent of more than eight teachers, for the 2009-10 school year. These cuts would "rip apart the foundation" of the school, he wrote.

"Our backs are against the wall. I need your help today!" added Honohan, promising he would contribute $1,000 because he has two children at the school. Parents were given "Honohan's Hero" pledge cards and asked to turn them in within five days.

The letter was a clear sign of how desperately worried public-school administrators are about pending budget cuts, which could require them to slash 15 percent from next year's spending plan because of Florida's tanking economy.

Jean Hovey, president-elect of the Florida PTA, said she had not heard of any other public school in the state asking parents to help stanch the budget bleeding by chipping in to keep teachers on the payroll.

"Wow," said Hovey, a longtime Seminole County PTA member, when told of Honohan's letter.

District school leaders had about the same reaction _ convening a meeting after learning about the letter, which had not been approved by top Orange County administrators.

They decided late Thursday the letter had been sent prematurely and asked Honohan to send a telephone message to the parents of Audubon Park's 875 students Thursday night telling them to disregard it, said district spokesman Shari Bobinski.

District officials needed time to figure out whether such an effort was legal in a district that must equitably fund all campuses, Bobinski said.

"The district has to stay fair to every school. Cuts are cuts. We can't favor one school over another just because of the economic makeup of that school," she added.

Honohan did not return calls or an e-mail asking for his comment.

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His A-rated school is housed in a new campus in Orlando's upscale Baldwin Park community.

In his letter, Honohan estimated 52 percent of Audubon Park parents could afford to make a donation. If each of those parents wrote a check for $500 per child enrolled, he wrote, the school could replace the $500,000 it expects to lose. Otherwise, "hard working teachers we know and love will be unemployed," he wrote.

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The letter also detailed how parents could purchase naming rights for the school cafeteria, media center and classrooms if they would donate at least $10,000, and how Honohan would be open to discussions about renaming the school for an unspecified but "large financial contribution." The last action would require School Board approval, however, the letter stated.

Parent Monica Abel said Thursday afternoon she planned to contribute $1,500 for her three children who attend Audubon Park.

"It's going to put a financial strain on us. But I believe this is what the school needs. My family will make it happen right now. I certainly will miss it, but it's about priorities."

Abel, treasurer of the school's PTA, said she appreciated that Honohan was a "forward-thinking" principal who was trying to find creative approaches to the budget crisis. She admitted it was "kind of foreign" to be asked to donate money for teacher salaries at a public school. Still, she added, "I appreciate what he is doing to keep Audubon at the level where it's at."

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Across Florida, many administrators have warned they will have no choice but to lay off large numbers of teachers to keep their budgets in the black during the 2009-10 school. They also expect to enact other unpleasant cuts, such as closing schools, trimming sports programs and eliminating some academic programs.

Hovey of the Florida PTA worried Honohan's effort undermined education advocates' central argument during the current budget crisis: it is the state's responsibility to fund public schools.

Audubon Park's extraordinary effort also raised "fairness issues," Hovey said.

"What happens when at the school down the road the parents can't afford the $500?"

For now, Honohan's plans are on hold. In his follow-up phone message to parents Thursday night, he said some of his information, such as the size of the school's pending budget cut, was premature.

"I appreciate the positive responses I have received," he said, "and want to clear up any misconceptions derived from the letter. Thank you all for your continued support."

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© 2009, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).

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