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| School budget cuts will claim 39 positions |
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| Wednesday, 25 March 2009 | |
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Cliff Buchan News Editor Upwards of 39 jobs will be eliminated as part of a budget reduction for 2009-2010 in ISD 831. The job cuts are part of a $3.5 million budget reduction that will be acted on by the school board on Thursday, April 2. The budget reduction plan was presented to the public Tuesday night before a packed audience in the media center at Forest Lake High School. “There is never a positive in reducing programs and services,” Superintendent Lynn Steenblock said. “It’s not fun.” In a move to ease the impact of the cuts, the administrative plan also calls for the spending of $1,225,000 of the district’s current fund balance. That still leaves $2,275,000 for budget reductions. Those cuts will come in the following areas: •$750,000 district-wide programs and services. •$762,500, elementary education. •$762,500 secondary education. A major chunk of the budget cuts will come in the areas of staff. A total of 83 percent of the district’s current general fund budget of $67.7 million goes to employee wages and benefits, Steenblock said. Staff cuts Just under 18 classroom teaching positions will be slashed and 6.5 custodial positions will also be eliminated under the plan. The cuts will target 12 elementary classroom teaching positions and 5.59 positions at the secondary level. The cuts will mean an upward move in class size averages, Steenblock said. At the elementary grades, the current K-6 district-wide class size average of 23.77 students will increase to 25.33. At the high school, the current average class size of 27.75 students is expected to climb to 29.50 or 29.75 students, based on the fall enrollment. No change in the average class size is projected at Century or Southwest junior high schools, Steenblock said. The elementary cuts will also claim a full teaching position split evenly between music and physical education. Building supplies will also be trimmed. At the secondary level, one guidance counselor, one behavior intervention specialist, two media assistants, one career resource assistant and a half-time administrative assistant will be cut. The secondary plan also calls for the restructuring of technology support services and the dropping of three full-time technology specialists. At the district level, the plan calls for the elimination of the Lakes Education Center Program based at Town Square in Forest Lake. A total of 2.5 special education teaching positions will be cut. The plan also calls for the elimination of the HSI mental health contract, a reduction of spending on supplies, conferences and substitutes, a restructuring of the wellness program resulting in the elimination of 1.5 positions for the half-time coordinator and full-time administrative assistant. The occupational therapy program will be restructured. Two full-time certified occupational therapy assistants will be cut and replaced by a one full-time registered occupational therapist. The district-wide budget will also recoup dollars from the general fund from bonds sold this winter to pay for post-employment employee benefits that are due to retired employees. An administrative salary freeze saving $60,000 in 2009-2010 is also part of the plan. Steenblock emphasized that many of the job duties for positions eliminated would fall to non-classroom coordinators who would take on more duties. Questions Questions were raised Tuesday tied to a pending teacher contract settlement in the district. A tentative agreement has been reached with the Forest Lake Education Association. Steenblock would confirm few details of the proposal but said a freeze in wage increases in the first year of the new contract would save $1.2 million. He would only say that the dollar amount has been taken into “consideration” as part of the budget reduction plan. FLEA has confirmed the tentative agreement which calls for a “hard freeze” in the first year of the two-year contract. Teachers are to be updated on the settlement offer and prepare to vote on adjustments to the current Q-Comp agreement with a vote on the master agreement to follow. During questions from the audience, Molly Messingham, an elementary special education teacher and parent in the district, asked the board if the possible wage concession by teachers would result in a “shared sacrifice” with other employee groups. Another parent, Tracey Sigstad, suggested the teacher savings should be put back into the budget. One Forest Lake resident offered his ideas for easing the budget cuts. Tom Paul, a former school board member, said the district could follow the suit of some districts by requiring teachers to pay the cost of substitutes when they are absent. That would be a $900,000 savings, he said, based on budget figures he has reviewed. Paul also said the board could consider asking employees to pay a greater share of health care costs as a way to save dollars. Paul’s suggestions did not resonate well with Rena Benedict, a 37-year science teacher at the high school. She said the district benefits from many dedicated teachers who work here for lower pay than they could earn in other nearby districts. But because of the pay structure, Forest Lake has become a training ground for other districts to find good, young teachers. “Forest Lake is a good place to come and learn to teach,” she said. To expect teachers to pay more for insurance and their substitutes was a “slap in the face,” she said. “Please don’t consider asking me to pay for my substitute,” Benedict said. Why the cuts With the district needing a balanced budget by June 30 and a decision on state funding not expected soon, Steenblock said the board must move forward with the cuts and start to look at 2010-2011 when another $2.5 million may have be cut from the general fund. Steenblock said the problem could be a three-year headache. Because of the near $5 billion state budget shortfall, he said Forest Lake expects to receive no new money from the state in the next two years. The district will also be without the $400,000 of one-time aid that was approved for this school year. With enrollment also expected to drop again next year, the revenue picture is even more grim, he said. Steenblock said the public should also be cautious to not expect too much from the federal government. The recently passed stimulus bill will provide the state with education dollars, but Steenblock said the state will likely control the dollars to help balance its budget. Dollars coming to the district, an amount still unknown, will be earmarked for special education and Title I needs. Don’t expect a “boatload” of money, he said. “That’s my term,” he said. “There is not a boatload [of money] coming.” At the state level, Steenblock said the House DFL plan calls for flat funding to schools while the DFL Senate plan could trim 7 percent in state funding to K-12. Gov. Pawlenty is proposing a modest increase in K-12 funding with the dollars tied to student performance and Q-Comp. “Performance, performance, performance is becoming the key,” the superintendent said. The plan put forth on Tuesday is drawn in part from a series of public and staff meetings, he added. The new budget spares cuts to athletic and activity programs, but does ask parents and students to pay higher fees. The cap on the amount of activity fees paid by a family would rise from $900 a year to $1150. Steenblock said there can come a point in cutting activity programs where students lose a positive educational tool and may end up moving to a district with stronger programs. Board members, during briefs comments Tuesday, said the final plan would be one that attempts to protect class size ratios and student achievement. Social Bookmarking ...       |
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