SubscribeThe West Bend School District proposed cuts for 2010-11 were outlined at the Board meeting and work session on Monday night. The cuts are required to bring the budget under the revenue caps and as a result of reduced state funding for schools, and it totals $2 million. This previous article outlines the reasons for the necessary $2 million in cuts. The following are the list of recommended cuts:
Elementary Reductions:
- Class size increases (K-2: 25 or less, 3-5: 30 or less) $134,800
- Eliminate last elementary librarian $67,400
- Reduce Aide hours $15,000
- Eliminate Dean of Students $33,700
- Eliminate Gifted and Talented program $134,800
- System Reductions $36,790
Total Elementary Reductions = $422,490
Middle School Reductions:
- Eliminate Gifted and Talented $107,840
- Increase Class Sizes (core classes 30 or less) $269,600
- System Reductions $17,695
Total Middle School Reductions = $395,135
High School Reductions:
- Increase Class Sizes (avg class size of 28) $552,680
- Eliminate 2 Cheerleading Coaches $6,622
- Eliminate 1 Spartan/Sun* Teacher (replace with aide)$29,000
- Eliminate 21.5 hours/day of aide time $68,450
- Reduce supply budget $ 3,878
- System Reductions $ 28,515
Total High School Reductions = $689,145
*Spartan/Suns is a program for struggling high school students
System Reductions:
- Eliminate Aide Substitutes (include special ed) $ 75,000
- Reduce Pupil Service Staff (social workers) $219,000
- Partial Freeze Central Office Supply Budgets $60,000
- Reduce Classroom Budgets $28,000
Total System Reductions = $382,000
Maintenance Reductions:
- Eliminate 3 Head Custodians $ 50,000
- Reclassify 4 custodians to Janitor IV $ 75,000
Total Maintenance Reductions = $125,000
Fee Increases:
- $5 Student Fee increase K-12
- $5 Middle School Athletic fee increase
- $25 High School Athletic fee increase
- $25 Parking Fee increase at High School
Total Fee Increases = $64,000 revenue
(if no fee increases, eliminate 1 HS librarian instead)
Total Reductions with fee increases= $1,994,770
The reductions equate to 26.1 teaching positions lost. Many assumptions are made to come up with the proposed budget reductions, and some of those assumptions could change. For example, estimates are made for student enrollment and state aide calculations. They are using a current estimate of a 2% wage increase for teacher contracts, which are not yet settled. If the results of mediation or arbitration are a higher than 2% increase, there will need to be further cuts.
Excerpt from Daily News article covering the proposed cuts:
“Reductions are never easy and this budget is an especially difficult one,” Herdrich said. “Due to a number of factors outside the district’s control including a reduced amount of funding from the state, we will be forced to make a number of extremely difficult cuts now and over the next three budget cycles.”
But even with the reductions, there is no guarantee that more cuts won’t need to be made, Herdrich said.
Currently unknown factors – such as the staff contract settlement, state aid calculations, potential changes to the levy assumption, and student enrollment will have an impact on what a final budget may look like.
Board member Tim Stepanski compared the district’s situation to a person trying to get to a destination riding on a stationary bike.
“We are making these cuts, we are at the maximum levy capacity…but how do we get off the stationery bike,” he asked.
Herdrich responded that other than program reductions, an operating referendum would be the only legal option.
A few more items that weren’t covered in the newspaper article: The current budget and cuts include the assumption of levying to the maximum revenue caps. If the District were to underlevy in the fall to no tax increase as some in the community have proposed, then $4 million in total cuts would be needed. Because the effects of underlevying is accumulative, if they had underlevied last fall and next fall, we would be looking at $7 million in cuts.
The community will be able to give input on the proposed budget and hear more details at the next 2 Board meetings, which will be held March 8 at FairPark Elementary and March 22nd at Decorah Elementary, both at 7:00 pm. More on the budget presentation and proposal on the School District website here.
In addition, the Badger middle school project was discussed. It is going well and coming in under budget with extremely low interest rates on their bonding. 12 of 13 bid packages lately have gone to West Bend businesses. 52% of workers are West Bend residents, and that number should grow.
Update: More on the Badger project in the Daily News here.
