It’s here. Budget time at the Donadoni Academy. So I am going to present this letter to the school committee in hopes that our vision of excellence can continue to flourish. But before I get too far into that boring list of requests, some personnel issues need to be cleared up. And while I say personnel…I might mean personal. But you can figure it out.

#1, while I have claimed to be the the Principal of the Donadoni Academy- anyone that sees what the Missus does on a regular basis around here knows the Truth. I am the Assistant Principal to the Real Boss in our home. I am in awe daily of her strength, and I am just lucky to be a witness to the number of things she has to accomplish every day just to make sure the Academy stays rolling. Or rocking. Or rocking and rolling. Either way- she is the one who gets everyone where they need to be in always clean clothes, and well fed stomachs, and usually with time to spare. So, before I begin to address the needs of the Academy for the budget- I want you to know who really answers the bell for every need here…it ain’t me. It’s the mom. It was true in my house growing up in East Syracuse, NY. And the same rings true in our home here. Mom’s right. All the time. And the boss. And she never stops. Always doing for others, all around the house and beyond. I am lucky to have a mom who I now appreciate even more because now I can see what a mom really does from my Assistant Principal’s chair. And in a word. It’s a lot. I should probably remember to get a card for Mother’s Day.

But back to our original story- the Academy has many needs going forward to be able to function at a high level so we make the following requests:

2 full time English teachers: We need help translating the fast babbling and sometimes incoherent language of the frenzied adolescents. Maybe a literacy coach would help? Sometimes the hopes and dreams and stories come out faster than a Principal speeding through a red light. Oh wait- that was last month’s story. Never mind. But we still would like to add staff to increase comprehension.

2 full time maintenance staff are requested. We seem to have a handle falling off a dishwasher. Which means we won’t be able to handle doing dishes by machine. Also, the recent pollen and dirt home invasion has been epically disruptive to the cleanliness of the Academy.

I would also like to request a few extra bucks to go towards the upkeep of the science labs. New equipment like teflon coated frying pans might prevent the AP/P/Me from setting the house on fire when cooking bacon for Mother’s Day breakfast. The flame was only a few feet high. And no animals were injured in the makin’ of the bacon so there were no complaints.

Lastly, I request some funds to pay for one of the student’s coach’s car damages. Confused? Me too. Let me clarify. When the Principal and I were watching one of our student’s baseball games Saturday afternoon, her father’s car managed to pull into a parking space just 4 feet behind us. The only glitch was that in fine-tuning his position in the parking space, there was some Boston Bumping going on. (But trust me the 4 or 5 hits/bumps were not bigger than the hits coming off the shortstop’s bat!) Hilarity ensued when the coach of the baseball team playing ran up the hill and plaintively asked my amazing and generous father-in-law if he wouldn’t mind ceasing to bump into his car.

True stories from the Donadoni Academy. I hope the School Committee comes through for our budget. I really could use some help around here!

Thanks for Coming!