District 89 Cuts $576,000 from Budget

District 89 groups all of its potential cuts into three levels based on their impact. At Monday night’s board meeting, the lowest level cuts were unanimously passed.

When considered with corresponding new revenues and the additional strategic spending that’s required, the Level 1 cuts slated for the 2011-12 school year will total $576,571 in savings compared to the current year.

According to Superintendant Dr. John Perdue, the district is still well short of making up its approximately $1 million deficit and will be deficit-spending in 2011-12 for the third straight year. He said the district has a “structural deficit,” meaning cuts are not able to keep pace with the expanding deficit.

The district has now cut $1.7 million from its budget over the last three years, according to Perdue, who worried continued cuts would result in District 89 providing “a basic level of educational service.” There’s no more low-hanging fruit, he said.

“We’ve accomplished all of those here in the last few years," Perdue said. "So without any new future revenue, the district and teachers can make further reductions in services, or can lessen the quality of the education we’re providing in some way… at a time when we need additional support, we need additional services, for changing needs and changing populations who need service.'

“Sorry for the less-than-rosy outlook," Perdue said to board members, "but that’s what it is.”

According to the superintendant, even with Monday’s cuts, the more impactful Level 2 cuts will have to be considered next year.

Level 1 personnel cuts mostly affected substitute teachers and administrative secretaries. Level 2 cuts in staffing would, for example, eliminate library aides at all buildings and the computer aide position at Glen Crest. It would also eliminate the Reading Recovery support program at the elementary schools.

Perdue said there were three avenues for addressing the district's structural deficit: additional cuts (meaning Level 2 and beyond), borrowing from future tax revenue, or a tax-rate increase. The last option garnished support from the board.

“If we want to maintain our school district as it is, our local taxpayer has to pick up that burden,” board president Lori Gaspar said. “There’s no way for us to raise that money.”

Perdue said the last District 89 tax-rate increase was in 1986. Though board member Terry Lachcik said the district needs the increase at Sunday’s League of Women Voters Candidate Forum, he said Monday the district should not assume it will get the money and sit on its hands for a year while the Level 2 cuts become more of reality. 

“The district can’t wait until the referendum fails to get the word out that these are the consequences,” Lachcik said.

According to Perdue, the nearest opportunity to put a tax-rate-increase referendum in front of the district’s residents is March 12, 2012 and the revenue would not be available until the 2013-14 school year.

The Level 1 cuts made Monday night are divided into staffing and personnel reductions, delayed expenditures, program efficiencies and operational efficiencies.

Staff cuts will include certified and non-certified staff. Level 1 certified staff cuts will decrease substitute pay. Subs will be paid $90 per day and $110 after 20 days—down from $135 after 16 days according to Assistant Superintendant for Finance and Operations Maureen Jones—and $110 per day for long-term assignments. District retirees acting as subs would be paid $110 per day, as well. Both long-term and retiree rates were $135 before Monday’s vote.

The elimination of one full-time and two part-time positions in differentiation support services, which Perdue said was meant to be a short-term program to begin with, and the elimination of the Catch Up Café and extended day program at Glen Crest are other certified staff cuts.

Level 1 non-certified staff cuts include two assistant secretary positions at elementary schools, one technology aide position and the reduction of nursing services in the district.

Certified and non-certified cuts for 2011-12 will save the district $467,242 in salary and benefits.

Level 1 delayed expenditures include the scaling back of the K-8 instructional workbook budget in favor of online workbooks and the elimination of MAP testing at the K-1 level and MAP science testing at the middle school level. Operational efficiencies include reductions in professional development and energy conservation savings while the elimination of field trip budgets is among program efficiencies.

According to Perdue, field trips will still be made, but Jones said parents would have to cover transportation costs in addition to any admission charges they already pay for.

Total Level 1 cost containments amount to $670,892 in savings, according to the district.

To boot, fees will be on the rise as the district seeks to find new revenue. A student I.D. fee at Glen Crest, a district-wide technology fee, increased fees for sports and other activities, and an increased milk fee are among the Level 1 adjustments that will be taken on by district parents and supply the district with $32,750 new dollars.

All in all, District 89 plans on having $703,642 additional dollars next fiscal year considering both Level 1 cuts and new revenue. But with $127,071 committed to required additional strategic spending, such as an additional class sections with a growing student population, the net savings for the district in 2011-12 is $576,571 compared to this year.