Community member Doug Sanders, speaking on behalf of former school board member Mary Sanders who was home ill, opened the community comments portion of the January 21, 2016 meeting of the Cook County Schools – ISD 166 school board meeting. He gave a brief report on a meeting of interested parties for the continuation of programming at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts (ACA).
Over a dozen community members gathered at the Sanders home on January 17 to discuss ideas to aid in keeping the ACA operating in light of looming budget cuts.
According to Sanders, an unofficial board operated the center when it first opened in 1998 and handled such things as paying the salary of the ACA manager. When the board disbanded in 2002, community education assumed the manager’s $19,000 per year contract. The school board budgets the total annual cost of the operation at $75,000.
The creation of the ACA was mainly funded through a grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Current tenants of the arts center space are the Grand Marais Playhouse which pays $10,000 per year and the North Shore Music Association with a rent of $140 per month. Other groups originally involved in funding the center eventually withdrew their support.
There is consideration of reviving the ACA board for the purpose of pursuing other grant possibilities to assist with the cost. Those interested in attending future meetings should contact Mary Sanders.
Levy referendum set for November 8
The board voted to pursue another levy referendum, possibly together with a bonding question during the general election November 8. Superintendent Beth Schwarz will begin pulling together some information for the board to consider. A levy would affect just homestead and business property taxpayers while a bond approval would spread the tax burden over the entire tax base.
Safe Routes to School update
The board accepted a plan update from the Safe Routes to School Committee. Coordinator Maren Webb gave a brief overview of the organization which is a federal aid program of the U. S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. The purposes of the program are to encourage children to walk and bicycle to school while making those activities safer.
Tentative budget cuts listed
Superintendent Beth Schwarz, intending to present a preliminary budget at the February 18 board meeting, offered a tentative list of items for budget decrease discussion. The areas, listed with their annual savings and in the proposed order they are most likely to be included in reductions, are as follows:
1. Evergreen Lawn Services $11,500. Athletic fields and
campus aesthetics.
2. Fiscal year 2016 fuel/propane savings $17,000. Already
realized this school year to date.
3. Fiscal year 2017 propane savings $40,000. Contract
locked in for 2017 but unlikely to be recurring long
term.
4. Capital building reductions $75,000. Leaves $200,000
in the budget for capital projects.
5. Fiscal year 2016 less one-half custodian position
$24,700. Will be achieved through a custodian
retirement.
6. Fiscal year 2017 technology personnel reduction
$19,000. Will be achieved by the semi-retirement of
the current Media/Technology Specialist.
7. Eliminate Teacher on Special Assignment contracts
$21,000. Currently social worker and counselor
duties which will be absorbed into administration
responsibilities.
8. Reducing licensed administrators from three to two
$115,000. Superintendent and Principal positions.
9. Miscellaneous $15,000. No salary for school board
members already agreed upon, not attending
the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA)
conference and reducing staff development.
10. Reduce physical education electives in grades 10
through 12 from three to two $7,000.
11. Reduce culinary arts from two sections to one $6,500.
The second section may be retained if Perkins grants
are obtained for its cost.
12. Reduce two sections in grades nine through 12
$14,000. Increase class sizes, combine current sections
or reduce an elective.
13. Begin online second language programs and end
middle school exploratory Spanish $28,200. Replaces
a current three quarter time instructor with an online
instructor.
14. Fiscal year 2017 continue with less one-half custodian
position $24,700. Would hire a half-time instead of fulltime custodian for next year.
15. Reduce additional faculty by 60 percent of one
full-time equivalent $30,000. Options would be to
restructure middle school class sizes, reduce middle
school exploratory courses, move first grade to one
section or reduce high school electives.
16. Reduce fifth grade to one section $54,000.
Other items of consideration for reduction include decreasing spending in early childhood and preschool programming, eliminating some athletic programs and decreasing ACA costs. Areas discussed but not highly recommended for cuts by the superintendent were reducing administrative assistant positions, eliminating sixth grade band, excluding some standardized testing and combining additional classes in elementary and high school.
Additional reductions in capital expenditures were debated in order to retain some of the above budget items. Maintenance Supervisor Tom Nelson discussed the need for some roof repairs that were already put off for a year because of costs with the industrial arts expansion. Some water leaks are occurring already. He will obtain estimates and options to present at the next board meeting. Board Member Terry Collins added that postponing these costs is not really a cut and results in asking someone else to do it down the road.
Leave a Reply