Budget cuts suggested; meeting is tonight

Numerous ideas have been presented to the Wadena-Deer Creek School Board Finance Committee for their review, with the goal to create a balanced budget for 2009-10. All community, staff, and administration items presented for budget reduction were taken into consideration by committee members. Possible reduction items by category, beginning with non student contact, include:

I. Expenses: non-

academic

a. Utilities: reduce heat/cooling, reduce lighting expenses

b. Reduce custodial supplies

II. Expenses: academic

a. Supplies/ learning and instructional materials 1) eliminate teacher resource pamphlets, 2) reduce elementary supplies by 50%, 3) reduce secondary supplies by 50 percent 4) reduce FFA travel and substitution costs

III. Subsidized Services:

a. Transportation, reduce one bus driver/route

b. Athletics: 1) eliminate junior high athletic programs, 2) eliminate pool cost for girls swimming, 3) raise high school fees to $50 per sport, 4) cut CC, GBB assistant positions, 5) cut funding for ticket takers

c. Extracurricular activities (fine arts, organizations, clubs, not band or choir): add $20 per participant per activity

d. Increase building rental fees

IV. Support Services: non-academic:

a. Custodians/cleaners: 1) reduce Deer Creek custodian to halftime, 2) eliminate custodial overtime/use shifts, 3) reduce one custodian, 4) reduce part-time cleaners

b. Building secretaries: 1) reduce elementary secretaries from 1.65 to 1.0, 2) reduce summer hours at the secondary

c. Reduce District Office Accounts Payable (.2)

d. Reduce District Office Business Manager (.2)

e. Eliminate Web costs

f. Reduce services/time provided by Public Health Nurse

V. Support Services: academic

a. Paraprofessionals: 1) eliminate two categories (software/media, clerical), 2) contain substitute costs, 3) set flat rate for substitutes ($9 vs 11.20-12.72), 4) reduce one elementary (clerical), 5) reduce one secondary (clerical), 6) reduce 1 high school education assistant, 7) reduce four elementary education assistants, 8) reduce hours at high school to one less day per quarter

b. Do not replace Elementary Library Support Personnel (retirement)

c. Eliminate curriculum director/coordinator position

VII. Classroom Teachers:

Reduce one Kindergarten section

Partial reductions: K-12 music (.276), German (.26), FACS (.2), Social Studies, (.25), Art (.21), Shop (.17)

On Thursday, March 12, an open community meeting will be held in the high school commons at 5 p.m. to review the above budget reductions. All community members are welcome to attend.