Saturday, January 30, 2010

The preliminary list

The Herald-Independent has published the preliminary list of budget cuts here.  Saving me the trouble of reproducing the list myself.   Cutting and pasting:

The following 19 items, listed in order of impact to the district (lowest impact first), represent $1,008,510 in budget savings (estimated item savings in parentheses):

• Reduce Physical Therapy staff by .2 FTE ($7,000).
• Increase instructional minutes that define FTE workload for elementary related arts from 1280 to 1350, thus reducing overtime payments ($17,500).
• Extend walk area to the two mile maximum, reducing bussing costs ($35,000).
• Reduce Occupational Therapy staff by .4 FTE ($14,000).
• Change class size suggested ranges for middle school and high school to reduce overload pay ($80,000).
• Reduce maintenance and custodial overtime ($20,000).
• Increase high school class size to 26, reducing staff by 2.1 FTE ($73,000).
• Eliminate 4th grade strings program ($22,500).
• Reduce staffing for grade 6–8 music programs ($84,150).
• Reduce instructional minutes per week for elementary related arts, grades K-5 ($91,000).
• Reduce district athletic budget for middle and high school by 5 percent ($22,910).
• Change Diversity Coordinator to non-administrative position ($10,000).
• Outsource custodial staff, for 6 of 12 positions ($174,000).
• Reduce paraprofessional positions (special ed) by 2.46 FTE ($81,000).
• Reduce teacher mentor by .5 FTE ($37,500).
• Eliminate all four IMC paraprofessionals in district ($132,000).
• Reduce Elementary Assistant Principal hours by 40 percent ($22,000).
• Eliminate late bus ($10,000).

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

So lets see.... Closing Maywood would save 250,000. That would save 4th grade strings (22,500), keep classes sizes in the HS down
(73,000) restore the Elementary Asst principal-(22,000), save the IMC assistants (132,000) and have money leftover. Not to mention the savings of either moving all of 6th grade to GDS or making 6th grade an elementary grade would mean we would stop all the driving teachers between GDS and Winnequah? How much does that cost? It is ridiculous that we are not having any of these conversations and yet we are facing losing the most talented teacher in the district- Jill Jensen. Absolutely ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

We need to save spec. ed support people,they make learning for ALL kids more productive. Also, I noticed the lack of any cuts to the district office.

Anonymous said...

People need to realize that by closing Maywood, the district would need to spend 100 to 350K RIGHT NOW to retrofit Winnequah for younger students- which would not save 4th grade strings, IMC asst. etc. - get educated, people! These are serious decisions that our district needs to make. We need less knee-jerk reaction and more thoughtful discussion!

Anonymous said...

But it would save the remaining programs next year, wouldn't it?

Anonymous said...

I mean the year after.

Anonymous said...

We can use fund balance to fund a one-time expense like this. It's foolish to not consider the long term savings (in the millions over a decade) because of a relatively small expense like this.

Anonymous said...

The board doesn't get to choose which teachers get let go, that is determined by the contract. The teachers with the least seniority go first.

Anonymous said...

It's not quite that simple. Teachers are licensed to teach different things, so it's not necessarily just seniority that dictates who goes and who stays.

Unknown said...

I'm a student at MGHS and I am writing to protest the possible cuts in the Music and Arts. I don't know if you understand how much music/arts affect my life and other students in the programs. The teachers are beyond amazing and they work so well with us and each other. I know a lot of fellow classmates who want to go into music related fields, because of the music instructors in our school that inspired them. If you walk the hallways in the high school, you will see the obvious talent our school possesses in the arts departments. Another way to see it, is if you attend any of many concerts out school gives over the year. While I understand the need to save money, the music programs affect so many students in the entire district. I know students who got thier confidence to play thier violin in fourth grade orchestra, and kids who got into singing in elementary school. I also know many students for whom the band room, or the choir room, is the only place they feel they fit in. I know kids who only are confident when they are on stage performing. The Monona Grove Art Departments are extremely successful, often winning awards for our show choir, dramas, and 2D and 3D art. I, personally, don't know what I'd do, or would have done, if it was not for band and Drama. I've met so many friends and gained so much confidence in myself the last six years in band, and the last three years of Drama club. I would ask that something that does so much for so many people be left at its current funding levels at least. Thank you, Molly Harvey.

Anonymous said...

Peter-
I would keep the arts and cut french a little used language across the world. The concept of teaching french is left over from the second war. May I suggest to you that the chinese govertment is paying school districts to teach mandrian.