Cuts plus fees still equals tight budget
Whitnall adjustments raise concern among parents and staff
Greenfield — The Whitnall School Board has approved cutting nine full-time-equivalent positions and reinstating student fees in the 2010-11 school year to help make up for an expected budget deficit of at least $1 million.
The cuts include three librarians, a psychologist, a guidance counselor and instructional aides that would total about $1.2 million in savings.
As part of that savings, the district may reduce the associate superintendent of curriculum position. The person now in that position, Sally Habanek, is retiring after this school year and school officials want to discuss with incoming superintendent Lowell Holtz whether to reassign her duties.
In addition, more teaching positions at the elementary, middle and high school levels could be cut, depending on next year's enrollment. Enrollment has declined over the last several years.
How deep is too deep?
When the idea was initially discussed earlier this month, several parents and faculty members told School Board members they feared students' education would suffer and asked them to look for cuts in other areas.
But board members and school administrators say they are left with little choice, in large part because of another possible cut in state aid on the horizon. State funding to Whitnall was cut by 15 percent last year and a similar decrease may happen this year.
School officials are confident these reductions make the impact on students' learning minimal.
"Staffing cuts were made only to recognize the reality of the impending aid cuts," School Board President Bill Osterndorf said.
Fees help a little
The student fees are expected to generate roughly $300,000 in revenue. Some of the fees include $100 for high school sports - except football, which is $150 - and student fees of $100 at the high school, $75 at the middle school and $60 at the elementary school.
The board waived fees for the 2009-10 school year, mostly to try to give the many families facing economic hardships a break, Osterndorf said.
School Board members were also attempting to increase students' participation in extracurricular activities.
However, in recent weeks many parents told School Board members they did not mind paying the fees if it meant programs, in areas such as athletics and the arts, were kept intact.
"We listened to what people had to say," Osterndorf said. "Parents were telling us, 'We understand the schools need the funding.' "
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