Students in USD 257 will make up three of five days lost to winter weather and teachers will attend staff development sessions to account for the other two.
Board members had used two snow days, April 22 and May 19, already in the calendar. Monday night they added classes on May 20, a Friday. State regulations permit two student days to be forgiven, because of number of hours scheduled during the school years. Teachers will meet their attendance requirements with the staff development days, May 23 and 24 or two days in either June or July.
An alternative would have been adding about eight minutes to each class day the remainder of the semester, an option none of the board members favored.
“That would be like going through the motions,” said Don Snavely.
EVENTUALLY board members will spend time evaluating facility needs after having toured each of the district’s buildings prior to business meetings the past several months.
Before any protracted discussions, though, they want an assessment of immediate maintenance needs.
Deanne Burris said the tours showed that buildings were cosmetically appealing, but that she thought better facilities should be considered.
Three years ago, before the economy soured, several meetings led to a proposal of a single elementary school for the district, and plans evolved into a comprehensive reorganization that would have put students at all three levels — elementary, middle and high schools — on a single campus. Estimated cost was about $120 million.
Board members dropped any thoughts of a bond issue when the economy flagged, which led to state aid cuts of more than $2 million for USD 257 since late summer 2008.
Now, the BOE faces a loss of $145,000 in state aid before the current school year ends and another $413,000 reduction in 2011-12.
The immediate funding loss can be absorbed, but the $413,000 projected loss next year is another matter, said Dr. Craig Neuenswander, superintendent of schools.
He led board members through a list of possible cuts, after noting that he anticipated increased costs for fuel, utilities and health insurance would add about $120,000, making the target for adjustments nearly $535,000.
The district has $500,000 in contingency reserve funds. Neuenswander suggested using $200,000 of that. He said another $210,000 could be saved by reducing supply purchases for buildings, classrooms, libraries and custodial functions.
“We also know that personnel changes (already decided) will save $18,000,” he said.
Those reductions would leave the district $95,000 in the hole.
Other areas Neuenswander opened for consideration were reducing kindergarten to half a day, closing the Crossroads alternative school in Gas, going to a four-day week and making any of several personnel reductions. He said raising meal prices by 10 cents would generate $9,400, but likely would only meet increased food service costs.
Neuenswander’s assessment was informational at this point, but board members will have to make decisions on what they want to do when construction of next year’s budget quickens in May and June.
