Schools won't change grades
Board accedes to parents' wishes against facility plan
Dozens of residents packed a Whitnall School Board meeting Monday to weigh in on a plan to reconfigure the district's elementary school. Photo By NOW Photo by Julie Ann Marra
Greenfield — The Whitnall School Board on Monday night soundly rejected a proposal to reconfigure the district's elementary schools and will instead look elsewhere for budget cuts in the neighborhood of $1 million to $3 million.
The 6-1 vote came after residents packed a 50-minute forum prior to the board regular meeting. Many of them were parents of elementary school children, and everyone who spoke asked board members to keep the schools structured the way they are.
A shift for savings
The proposal would have shifted Hales Corners Elementary to a school for students in 4-year-old kindergarten through second grade, and Edgerton Elementary for students in third through fifth grade.
Administrators proposed the reconfiguration because it would have been able to cut four teacher positions, saving at least $269,000, according to updated projections.
It also would have helped balance the enrollment at the schools, which officials said was needed especially because Edgerton Elementary has seen high class sizes in recent years.
Lone supporter
School Board President Bill Osterndorf cast the lone vote in favor of the plan, saying not only are the budget reductions necessary, but the new structure would serve students well.
"It is a way to help resolve this problem and it doesn't have all downside," he said. "There are some very positive upsides attached to realignment that put all those grades in one school.
"I may be the only one (voting in favor), but I'm OK with that."
Parental discomfort
Parents could only see the downsides.
Among the comments heard during the forum, parents suggested the restructuring proposal was rushed, would lead to a difficult transition for students and would only be a short-term fix for the schools' enrollment issues.
A few parents said they moved into the Whitnall School District specifically so their kids could attend those schools.
"In the long run, you're going to lose enrollment, because parents are not going to come here if they're not going to have the opportunity for kids a couple years apart to be in the same school," parent Tim Boyle told the School Board.
Finding savings elsewhere
School officials are now looking at other areas to make budget cuts or bring in more revenue. District administrators are planning for a scenario in which they will need to cut between $1 million and $3 million in its 2010-11 budget.
One of those revenue sources could be student fees, but the board delayed by at least two weeks a decision on whether to bring back student fees for the 2010-11 school year. (See related story elsewhere on this page.)
Administrators unveiled a list of potential reductions that could include cutting sixth grade foreign language, elementary instrumental music and librarians that would total $1.3 million in savings.
Even that might not be enough - in the worst case scenario of the district facing a $3 million shortfall, officials noted in a report to board members that $1.6 million in additional dollars may need to be cut from the budget.
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