Newsletter 01/28/25
Hello Parents,
Just last night, the President signed an executive order and issued a memorandum that freezes all federal grant funding through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Federal grant funding comprises between 25%-40% of our overall budget depending on the year. We currently are preparing for our funding to be cut effective February, but we are cautiously optimistic that we will at least have one more month of full funding before the cuts go info effect.
Long-term, this isn’t sustainable. Many schools will have a hard time staying open if this doesn’t change. Da Vinci Tree will be taking the actions listed below effective immediately in order to ensure our future financial stability. If President Trump, the OMB, or the federal courts retract our funding pause, then we can lift these austerity measures. This is the first phase of four. As time goes on, if the funding isn’t unfrozen we will have to take further measures. We apologize in advance for all of the families that these measures will hurt, but we have to be sure that the school remains viable.
Field Trips will be paused with the exception of the Rock and Gem Show and inexpensive field trips that don’t cost the school. Catalina Island may have to be cancelled. As of now, this is uncertain.
Programs for our homeless students are immediately being put on hold.
Our upcoming tutoring program is being put on hold.
Camp Roll-A-Lot for our middle schoolers is on pause and may be cancelled.
After School Study Hall is immediately being paused. We will continue providing afterschool care for now, but it will be in large groups and are monitored by a few staff on the playgrounds.
We have put a freeze on purchasing supplies. This means we will have to ask for families to start bringing in basics like tissues, pencils, etc.
Several other steps that impact us externally, but should not be readily visible.
We will keep our community in the loop as the situation progresses. Thank you all for your understanding and patience as we go through this interesting and uncertain time.
Kind Regards,
Principal Roll