- School Board holds special meeting
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Some of the news was good—two of the four provisional teachers warned they would not be retained have been told will be retained.
One of those teachers will be transferred to Mona Elementary to help lower the student-per-teacher ratio. The second teacher will be moved within the district.
Part of the reason the change can be made, said Darin Clark, business administrator, was that stimulus money was going to be used to preserve those positions.
“As we look at the state process back as far as September, when we thought we were going to have 17 percent cuts, things have improved, some because of the decision to use stimulus money,” said Kirk Wright, superintendent of schools.
“In March, we sent letters to all provisional teachers warning them that they may not be retained,” said Wright. “In April, we did indicate that three or four of those positions would not be filled.”
Since then, in addition to the stimulus money, some special education monies have been made available to help with other programs and teachers in areas that would qualify for the use of that funding, he said. There are rules and regulations which specify what that money can be used for. However, the money will fund two elementary teachers and the literacy specialist positions.
He said as the board reviewed the finances available to the district, they found that they could also restore a half-time math position.
“The Parent’s group funded a chorus class and funded another position,” said Wright.
That money is coming from the Forest Reserve Fund, or school trust lands, funding. Each school is receiving some of the allotment and the high school’s portion is being used to fund those positions. The only problem, said Wright, is that the money is one-time funding. That means it will help this year, but will not help next year. Or it may, it depends on what happens with that funding.
The bad news? Ah, yes, the district is still way behind in the budget money needed to run the programs as they existed last year, said Clark.
“We still need to cut the program,” he said.
How that will be accomplished is still a matter of discussion. Following the public meeting Friday morning, the board reconvened in executive session to discuss the problems.
Total budget cuts, said Clark, need to be made to the tune of $851,576.
The district has lost $248,192 in social security and retirement, $313,631 or all of the quality teaching block grant money, and the local discretionary block grant of $122,243.
“That amounts to $644,576 in total,” said Clark.
The district also needs to come up with additional funds to provide $93,000 in steps changes for teachers, $79,000 in lane changes, and $35,000 for health insurance, he said.
Those are items the district’s teachers think are important to maintain, even if furlough days are necessary to achieve the balance needed, if the district is ever to return to normal in the future.
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