Caledonia Argus

Committee recommends budget cuts

Posted: 2/5/02

By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter

It may cost more money to go to a game or attend a concert next year if the full school board approves a list of recommendations from a district budget committee which voted on approximately $171,000 in cuts Monday night, January 28.

The recommendations and dollar amounts are still not set in stone, and will be decided on at a regular board meeting. All of the items that were brought forth came from committees within the district budget committee and recommendations of superintendent Percy Lingen.

The district is trying to cut $198,000 from its budget next year in order to keep in line with its plan to get out of statutory operating debt in the next three to five years. This target amount includes the $125,000 that had been planned, plus reductions that are based on the statutory operating debt plan approved by the board a few weeks ago.

The district had hoped that it would not have to make cuts, but a referendum that would have yielded the funds to stop the cuts failed last November. The district has discussed the idea of trying another referendum this November. If that fails, they will be making more cuts for the following school year.

District Business Manager Gretchen Anderson told The Argus that this yearís undesignated fund balance is projected to be negative $581,000. That figure includes $534,000 that was carried over from the previous year. The budget for the 2001-2002 school year looks to be right on target, however. The district had budgeted for a $47,000 deficit, but low fuel prices and some additional revenue may keep that budget at a break-even point.

Budget cut recommendations

Some of the recommendations include eliminating programs such as flag corp, German and marching/pep band.

Several fees were increased: family and student passes for extra and co-curricular events, junior high and senior high participation fees, extra curricular and co-curricular fees, implementation of admission fees for band and choir concerts, soccer and baseball games, and parking fees.

It had been estimated that parking fees for students at the new school and old current high school may yield about $10,000 in revenue.

The committee recommended cutting $12,000 from the business office. The recommendation was made after looking at the business offices in other school districts similar in size. It was discovered that this district paid its business manager $12,000 more than the average. Suzanne Roesler, school board member, explained that the cut may not necessarily be just the salary of business manager, Anderson, and could be seen in other cuts to the business office. This recommendation, as with all recommendations, was not based on job performance, said Roesler.

The committee also recommended reducing administrationís traveling budget by $5,500. This number includes a $1,500 cut to Lingenís travel budget, from $3,000 to $1,500, and cuts to elementary principal Connie Hesse and Secondary Principal Brian Doty. Both principals will have $500 left in their travel budgets.

The vote was close, 7-5, for eliminating the dean of students position, while a 2-to-1 majority voted to also eliminate the special education, EBD (Emotional Behavior Disorder) position. The positions are held by John Scott, who also teaches a spanish class, which was not eliminated.

Secondary Principal Brian Doty cautioned against cutting too much of the discipline part of the school. ìThere are things that make dramatic impact: special education, counseling and consequence. If you cut all three, I suggest it will be November and you wonít recognize the school as far as behavior.î

The committee did vote to keep counseling in the high school and elementary school next year, although at a more limited level. Connie Hesse, elementary principal, spoke in favor of keeping counseling. ìMy elementary counselor does tons and tons of preventative work. She gets calls from teachers all the time. When they have issues in class; she does a lesson. Itís a direct impact,î she said.

The committee voted on recommending some elementary positions be cut: an art teacher, reduce private band lessons and phyed.

On those cuts Board Member Bruce Bulman said, ìAll the elementary teachers can teach their own art. It had been cut before, but it had been put back in. Itís a nice thing. My hope would be that when we do it again, itís short term.î

Board Chair Cheryl Whitesitt noted, ìItís been proven that art and music improve so many other skills.î

The athletic department saw few recommended cuts after it was shown that that budget had already seen many reductions.

A proposal to eliminate junior high jazz band and junior high sports was taken off the list of recommendations.

The elimination of a ninth grade girls basketball coach was passed by the committee.

The budgets of some co-curricular activities were eliminated: student council and future problem solvers.

Committee meets again this Thursday

The district budget committee will meet again this Thursday, February 7 at 7 p.m. in the high school media center.

The meeting is open to the public.

After the committee is finished with its recommendations, they will be presented to the full board where they will have the opportunity to act on the items.

The full board has been a part of the district budget

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