Dear Lincoln Elementary Families:

 

A new year at Lincoln is underway!  Almost all of our wonderful lead teachers are back this year, ready to work with Lincoln’s nearly 360 students!  And Lincoln continues to offer opportunities for further student growth through its music, art, physical education, English language acquisition (ELA), and special education programs.

 

But the loss of district funding for paraprofessionals remains a pressing challenge for our school.

 

Paraprofessionals provide critical instructional support to teachers, and their presence in the classroom dramatically increases the ratio of teachers to students. They also assume other responsibilities so that teachers can devote more time to lesson planning.

 

Last year, Lincoln experienced a severe reduction in its paraprofessional budget due to district-wide funding cuts.  The Lincoln community responded with a targeted fundraising campaign, and together we raised enough money to hire 2.5 paraprofessionals.  This allowed us to have paraprofessional support for every classroom, for an average 2.5 hours per day (more than tripling our para time)!  We also funded two paraprofessionals right from the start of the 2011-12 school year—helping Lincoln’s classrooms get the new school year off to a great start.

 

Because we cannot count on future increases in district funding, paraprofessional funding is the PTSA’s top fundraising objective in 2011-12, with a goal of $50,000 (approximately $140 per student).

 

100% of your contribution to the LINCS Campaign supports staffing in Lincoln’s classrooms.

 

Lincoln needs your support for paraprofessionals in the classroom!  Please make your tax-deductible contribution to the LINCS Campaign by clicking the "Donate" button or print the pdf attachment bellow.

Thank you,

The Lincoln PTSA