In light of declining enrollment and cuts in funding, School District166 Superintendent Beth Schwarz discussed possible reductions in programming and staff for the next school year with the public on February 9 at the Arrowhead Center for Arts.
About 30 people attended what was billed a Community Listening Session. WTIP radio’s Jay Andersen moderated the session, and he took questions from the audience and from the Internet for Schwarz and Principal Gwen Carman following the presentation.
Schwarz was joined onstage by Carman and school board members Deb White, Jeanne Anderson and Mary Sanders.
The community forum was held to provide the public an opportunity to share their thoughts about possible reductions prior to the school board making decisions about cuts, said Schwarz.
Since the 2007-2008 school year, the school district has lost 136 kids, a 22.7 percent decline in student population. The district is expected to lose another 26 students by the fall of 2014, adding another 5 percent loss to the enrollment.
Over that time the district has lost $967,000 in revenue.
“This will be the fifth year in a row that the school district has had to make cuts,” said Schwarz.
Those cuts have totaled just over $900,000. The 2011-2012 budget projects deficit spending of $180,000, said Schwarz.
According to the school board directives, the district has four immediate goals: 1) Balance the budget. 2) Bring the fund balance (some call it a rainy day fund) from the current 20 days to 25 days, or to $702,000. 3) Figure out a way to come up with $440,000 in revenue or in cuts or some combination thereof for the next year. 4) Continue to think about how to restructure the school district to meet the needs of a much smaller population of students.
Some of the revenuegenerating ideas the school board is currently looking at include renting out office space in the west wing of the school, applying for a Quality- Compensation program grant from the state, and continuing to develop long term philanthropic initiatives.
Some cuts currently under consideration include closing the Community Education wing, which would result in cutting a custodial job to half time, saving the district $15,000 per year.
Another cut would be to exchange four instructional days for four teacher-training days. This would save the district $62,000. Schwarz said that additional money could be saved by going to a four-day school week, but that would be something that would have to be looked at and planned for 2013-2014 if the public agreed to it. Last time around, a lot of parents voiced opposition to a four-day school week.
Suggested administrative cuts included paring back $57,600 through reductions to the superintendent’s benefits, elimination of the office administrative position when Kathy Johnson retires in January 2013; elimination of one building administrative assistant, and a reduction in the transportation/facilities administration program.
Cuts that wouldn’t affect the classroom but would impact the students include reducing the athletic budget, eliminating the guidance counselor position, taking away the intown bus, reducing health services and reducing the media center coordinator position to half-time. These cuts, if they happened, are expected to save $122,000 next year.
Cuts that would have a direct impact on students and their classrooms would include eliminating one special education position, eliminating one teaching position (this would likely be divided by staff and based on secondary registrations), reducing a full-time teaching position to half-time and cutting one to two paraprofessionals. All told, these eliminations and reductions tally $152,000.
Schwarz listed her highest priorities. She said that she wants to keep three full-time teachers K-3, maintain a halftime 2-5 reading/math position, maintain early childhood support, maintain the current curriculum cycle, maintain the data driven initiative and increase family/student mental health support $30,000.
All told these cuts and reductions total $508,600. If the mental health position is added in, the total budget impact is $478,600 in reductions and cuts to the school district.
Schwarz was asked if the recent decision to exclude Minnesota from the “No Child Left Behind” act would save the district money and she said no, it wouldn’t, but she liked the repeal. She was asked about cuts in sports or a reduction in games played to cut down travel expenses, possible ways to come up with outside financing, what her relationship is with the charter schools was (she said she has a good working relationship with those administrators) and said, “We know those kids will come here for high school. We work closely with the charter schools.”
A former school board member stepped to the microphone and said that the school board has some hard decisions to make, “but the key is to make the right decisions.”
“This is going to be hard,” said school board member Deb White after the meeting. “However, decisions are based on positions, they are not personal. Emotions needs to be set aside. The big picture is what is the best for the students in the long run,” said White.
Schwarz will make her budget recommendations to the school board on February 23 at 5 p.m.
Until that time, she would like to hear from the public about any ideas they have that will either save the school district money or what should be cut or reduced from the current program. The school district number is (218) 387-2271 and Schwarz can be reached by e-mail at bschwarz@isd166. k12.mn.us.
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