Board trims $823,000 from budget, but few jobs totally eliminated

They are probably the toughest decisions a school board has to make, and most times — in some eyes at least — they aren’t particularly popular. But these are trying times in the La Crescent-Hokah School District, and decisions had to be made.

Because of a list of factors, including the school’s continued declining enrollment and a lack of new state money, the La Crescent-Hokah Board of Education followed through with a round of staff cuts at its monthly meeting April 15. The district was charged with eliminating $823,000 from its budget, down from an estimated

$1.2 million, which was a prior assessment before federal stimulus package money arrived, teachers gave back their 2 percent for staff development and other savings were found in the current school year. By reshuffling some positions and leaving those jobs open, it was able to save money without severely reducing current staff. For the most part, entire positions weren’t eliminated, only. The technology director’s position was cut. However, it will be replaced with a technician position.

At the meeting, the board spent a good deal of time listening to administrators explain how reductions were made, the justification for those decisions and the process each principal went through within their schools to reach those conclusions.

The principals were assigned specific monetary cuts for their schools. These dollar amounts were based on a percentage of the school’s expense budget, said district business manager Julie Holman. Other areas, including Bluff Country Learning Options, district-wide services, facilities, special education, activities and custodial expenses also were reduced.

The elementary school had to cut $175,000, and it did so, said Principal Ron Wilke, after discussing with teachers and staff what they held as important in the school. The teaching staff will remain intact, and the school will utilize the retirements of librarian Sylvia Nielsen and counselor Kathy Unangst to save. A physical education position was also reduced .257 FTE, but Wilke said because of some reductions at other levels, physical education classes won’t be reduced, and actually, he envisions more being added in the future.

The school will be tapping into a new funding stream that provides an alternative delivery of math and reading instruction. The program provides $73,000. Plus, the school has shifted duties of its counselor and family support worker in a way to save money and tap into different streams of funding. Wilke stressed that, though time was reduced, services in those areas won’t be.

“The core classroom instruction and class sizes still look good,” Wilke said.

The middle school’s share of cuts equaled $101,000. Principal Ben Barton also met with his leadership team and talked about the school’s values when determining where to trim. Some savings will come naturally through declining enrollment, Barton said. Fewer sixth-graders are coming into the school than eighth-graders leaving. He has been in contact with local parochial schools to get a sense of how many students he can expect from those institutions.

With fewer students, Barton estimated needing one fewer section, which equates to a 1.0 FTE reduction. In addition, a physical education position will be reduced .5 FTE. The school will also hold off on replacing a position within the print shop, and part of its savings will come from the retirement of media center specialist Jim Hermes, which could be replaced with a non-licensed candidate.

The school also is reworking the time and position of its counselor, who will now handle social work.

The high school was in a unique situation, in that its cuts are all student-led, Principal Rick Wolter said. The school had to shave $185,000 from its budget, and because it has 20 fewer students entering than leaving next year, reductions in certain areas will be natural. In addition, classes with not enough students registered will be eliminated, he said. These are classes, even in the best of time, that would have gone, including a number of upper-level offerings with only two or three students.

The retirements of Hermes and math teacher Bob Pitel also will help save. Hermes’ position won’t be filled, and Wolter is waiting to fill Pitel’s position, pending some possible additional funding. Course cuts include 1.6 FTE in total teachers: .2 in art, .1 in physical education, .2 in German, .3 in math, .2 in English (Sylvia Nielson retirement), .4 in choir and .2 in social studies (Hermes retirement). Wolter said about 20 students equals 1 FTE, but in this case, it’s spread around so no one person loses a job.

“Lots of cuts are of natural attrition,” Wolter said, “and retirements help.”

There will be some classes with more than 30 students in them, which isn’t ideal, Wolter said. But areas such as math and science, two core subjects, came out unscathed.

BCLO had to cut $30,000, but when Barton met with staff at the alternative learning school, it was decided staffing levels needed to be maintained as much as possible for the most vulnerable of students, he said. Some cost savings will be seen when director John Haugan retires this year and the position is replaced by an employee costing less. The school also will have some stipends reduced.

The activities department cut $10,300 through eliminating an assistant wrestling coach and the junior varsity hockey program. Also, it will add money by raising adult and student seasonal sport passes, eliminating awards at the American Legion track meet and moving middle school golf to the spring with the varsity team.

Special education, which has gone without cuts through other reductions, will reduce 1 FTE. That loss will be covered by current staff, though it was noted fewer students are in the program now than previous years.

District-wide programs were cut $152,000. Those cuts include the likelihood of one bus route being eliminated, the 1 FTE reduction of the technology director, a .5 reduction for the curriculum director and a nursing staff reduction of .5.

After the explanations, the board noted that, although the cuts were being made at this point, should the budget situation improve, positions can be added back. Superintendent David Krenz said the school held off until now to finalize cuts in order to consider any new money that might be available, such as from the federal stimulus package. That line of thinking is much easier, he said, than making cuts early, receiving new money and then trying to add positions back.

In the end, the resolution the board voted on called for the reduction of an elementary school physical education teacher .257 FTE, secondary art teacher .2, middle school vocal music teacher .4, school nurse .5, curriculum director .5 and technology director 1.

The board voted unanimously to approve the reductions.

Leaves of absence

In addition to the reductions, the board assigned five staff members to an unrequested leave of absence. High school art teacher Amanda Bock was reduced .2 FTE, but retains her position, as does middle school choir teacher Ross Martin — reduced .4 FTE — and middle and high school nurse Lynette Landsom — down .1 FTE. Elementary school physical education teacher Sherry Sipusich was reduced .257, her entire position, and Nurse Joyce Allen was cut .4 FTE, the entirety of that job.

That motion to make these requests was passed unanimously.

If any good news came out of the situation, it was that the school district was able to take advantage of several retirements at the end of the year.