“It’s deciding between a bad decision and a worse decision,” said Superintendent Ron Saari at the School Board meeting on March 15.
Twenty-five new budget approvals were made by the school board, and the effects are going to be felt throughout the entire district.
The following recommendations were approved.
- Move salaries/benefits back from IDEA ARRA to Fund 10
- Add cost of one bus back to fund 10 budget from IDEA ARRA grant funds.
Eleminate purchase of 09-010 bus; carry over funds to 10-11 for bus purchase. (The school board voted to only purchase one new bus this year, and is delaying the purchase of other new busses until next year.) - Retiree Severence Payment
- Retiree vs. New Hire Salaries & Benefits Savings
- Resignations vs. New Hire Salaries & Benefits savings
- 1st Grade Teacher Reduction (1.0 Full time employee, FTE)
- 2nd Grade Teacher Addition (1.0 FTE)
- Kindergarten Teacher reduction (2.0 FTE)
- Reduce 4K Teacher (.5 FTE)
- Reduce Technology and Education Teacher (1.0 FTE)
- Reduce Gifted and Talented Teacher (.5 FTE)
- 6th Grade Teacher Reduction (1.0 FTE)
- 5th Grade Teacher Reduction (1.0 FTE)
- School Physcologist Reduction (.25 FTE)
- 8th Grade Teacher Addition (1.0 FTE)
- HS Music/Art Reduction (1.0 FTE)
- Property and Casualty Insurance savings from Bids
- HS/MS LMC Director Reduction (add part-time aide)
- Increase Parking Fees (From $10 to $50 annually)
- HS Math Reduction (.25 FTE)
- HS Science Reduction (.25 FTE)
- LMC Department Head Reduction (Combine with another department)
- Reduction of one MS part-time aide (6.5 hr/day)(no benefits)
- Reduction of one FS part-time aide (6.5 hr/day) (no benefits)
The reductions to the high school math and science departments will be cancelled out because they will both be covered by the annonymous gift given.
The school board cannot currently announce which teachers are being cut or reduced.
Other approvals outside of the budget include the field trip request for the HS Spanish Club trip to the Festival of Nations and the grant renewal for the BRAGS program.
The request for a sixth grade tennis program, represented by Spanish teacher Marc Rukavina, was denied. But at the very end of the meeting, the board voted to discuss the issue again at the April 19 meeting.
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