| 2/9/2010 11:04:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | School board paints dire cash outlook
Sue Price - Mail Staff Writer
Salida school board representatives portrayed a dire future financial scenario during the public accountability meeting Monday at the high school.
Purpose of the meeting was to receive community feedback and ideas, and explain the current financial status of the district. About 18 people including teachers, parents and residents, attended.
Board members Penny Wilken and Dan Short offered a PowerPoint presentation displaying the district budget and the anticipated revenue change because of state budget decreases coupled with other increases.
The district total budget is $17,285,392. It breaks down to $10.5 million in the general operating fund, $439,023 in the capital reserve fund, $4 million in grant funds and enterprise funds and $2.1 million in reserves.
Staff salaries account for 55.94 percent of the budget.
The district faces an anticipated revenue change of $563,000 because of state budget cuts and $105,140 in budget increases for a total of $747,850 in cuts.
"It's sad there is no light at the end of this tunnel yet," Short, board treasurer said.
"No one likes what we've been handed. It's a passionate subject and people have many ideas. It isn't easy to make these decisions," Wilken said.
Board members said they haven't made any decisions, but they warned decisions must be made soon. To cut teaching positions, the district is required to notify Salida Education Association 60 days before contracts are offered in May.
"Timing is a problem," Short said. "We have to make these decisions because of contract deadlines. It's a balancing act. There's going to be cuts everywhere."
Staff and teachers may also be asked to personally supplement health insurance increases.
Teachers in attendance urged the board to take more time and carefully research many options before resorting to cutting teaching positions.
"We're not enjoying this. We don't enjoy having to cut any positions. No one likes the situation we're in," Wilken said.
Ray Kitson, attending as a parent, said, "I believe we can balance our budget without cutting any teaching positions. It's a matter of priorities. It's a passionate issue. We're talking about people losing jobs or losing programs or departments."
Ideas generated at the meeting included adjustments to food service, transportation options, cutting advanced placement programs, charging for sports participation, petitioning legislators to use lottery money for school financing and changing to a four-day school week.
The board will meet today at 6 p.m. to discuss specific budget cut areas.
Members will revisit the issue of adding Crest Academy, Strawberry Door and Horizon Academy students and how that affected the overall budget, board president Lezlie Burkley, said.
"We will look at projections for the next five years to see if we think in the long run these programs will be sustainable and perhaps even bring in more money than their operational costs," Burkley said.
Similar meetings with other board representatives were held at the same times at Longfellow Elementary School and Salida Middle School.
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