News Press > News
School district targets $37M in cuts
By Rhonda Moore
The Douglas County School District released its initial ideas for budget reductions in the face of a denial by voters of a 2008 mill levy and budget override.
The proposed reductions as a result of the no vote have blossomed from $10 million in the early stages of the mill levy request to $37 million over the next two years.
The school district released a list of possible budget cuts after weeks of collecting input from within its organization. The effort began Nov. 6, 2008, two days after the ballot questions failed. At that time, district officials began by meeting with school principals and department heads to find ways to trim up to $16 million from the school budget for the coming year.
Citing the state’s economic conditions and anticipated decline in school revenue, the district bumped the proposed reductions to $37 million, which it hopes to spread out over the next two years.
Before any final decisions will be made, however, the school district is looking for input from its constituents for their ideas on the best areas to target for cuts, according to a newsletter from school superintendent Jim Christensen.
Christensen released a call for participation from “community stakeholders” via the district’s Web site, with an online survey where families, students and community members can weigh in.
The district proposed the bulk of savings to begin in the 2009-10 school year. Stakeholders can choose from options ranging from $10 million to $17 million in reductions in employee compensation, $3 million in learning services personnel, including classified, certified and teachers on special assignment, and $3 million in operational reductions in several departments ranging from transportation to security.
Another idea is to increase class size by a half-student in the elementary and middle schools for a combined savings of nearly $2 million. Decreasing graduation requirements from 25.5 credits to 24 credits or increasing class size in the high school could save another $2.1 million.
The district hopes to minimize the impact on students, but district families could see an increase in class size, might have to wait longer for a return phone call and could see fewer directors in the district, said Steve Herzog, Douglas County School District chief operating officer.
“They shouldn’t see much of a difference from day to day,” Herzog said. “We’re trying to minimize the impact as much as we can so they don’t see that much change in a classroom, but there may be some bigger classes.”
Herzog is responsible for support areas such as security and transportation, where changes could be made in neighborhood bus routes. In areas where buses go up and down the streets for multiple pick-ups, the district could make the switch to a central pick-up spot, Herzog said. Neighborhoods where students are bussed to two different schools could see one bus route cut as the district aims to service the area for its designated school.
Whether routes are cut or hours are reduced, the district will work with the union before making decisions that impact personnel, Herzog said.
With personnel reductions on the table for consideration, the district has already saved close to $1.5 million by not filling positions left open by natural attrition, he said.
Stakeholders also will be asked to share their opinion on “innovative ideas” such as transitioning to a four-day school week and redesign of the employee benefits package and complaint management.
Survey participants are asked to rank the top-eight choices from areas most commonly suggested for re-design, reduction or elimination. Among those choices are $1.16 million in the elementary school music program, $1.35 million for literacy intervention from grades three through 12, $2.9 million in high school coaching slots and $18 million in transportation.
Many of those same items are on a list of “untouchables,” where participants are asked to choose one item to tell the district, “hands off.”
The district has been gathering stakeholder feedback since the beginning of January and hopes to have a final budget reduction plan in place by Jan. 19. To view the survey and read about the district’s proposed reductions, visit the Web site at www.dcsdk12.org.
The proposed reductions as a result of the no vote have blossomed from $10 million in the early stages of the mill levy request to $37 million over the next two years.
The school district released a list of possible budget cuts after weeks of collecting input from within its organization. The effort began Nov. 6, 2008, two days after the ballot questions failed. At that time, district officials began by meeting with school principals and department heads to find ways to trim up to $16 million from the school budget for the coming year.
Citing the state’s economic conditions and anticipated decline in school revenue, the district bumped the proposed reductions to $37 million, which it hopes to spread out over the next two years.
Before any final decisions will be made, however, the school district is looking for input from its constituents for their ideas on the best areas to target for cuts, according to a newsletter from school superintendent Jim Christensen.
Christensen released a call for participation from “community stakeholders” via the district’s Web site, with an online survey where families, students and community members can weigh in.
The district proposed the bulk of savings to begin in the 2009-10 school year. Stakeholders can choose from options ranging from $10 million to $17 million in reductions in employee compensation, $3 million in learning services personnel, including classified, certified and teachers on special assignment, and $3 million in operational reductions in several departments ranging from transportation to security.
Another idea is to increase class size by a half-student in the elementary and middle schools for a combined savings of nearly $2 million. Decreasing graduation requirements from 25.5 credits to 24 credits or increasing class size in the high school could save another $2.1 million.
The district hopes to minimize the impact on students, but district families could see an increase in class size, might have to wait longer for a return phone call and could see fewer directors in the district, said Steve Herzog, Douglas County School District chief operating officer.
“They shouldn’t see much of a difference from day to day,” Herzog said. “We’re trying to minimize the impact as much as we can so they don’t see that much change in a classroom, but there may be some bigger classes.”
Herzog is responsible for support areas such as security and transportation, where changes could be made in neighborhood bus routes. In areas where buses go up and down the streets for multiple pick-ups, the district could make the switch to a central pick-up spot, Herzog said. Neighborhoods where students are bussed to two different schools could see one bus route cut as the district aims to service the area for its designated school.
Whether routes are cut or hours are reduced, the district will work with the union before making decisions that impact personnel, Herzog said.
With personnel reductions on the table for consideration, the district has already saved close to $1.5 million by not filling positions left open by natural attrition, he said.
Stakeholders also will be asked to share their opinion on “innovative ideas” such as transitioning to a four-day school week and redesign of the employee benefits package and complaint management.
Survey participants are asked to rank the top-eight choices from areas most commonly suggested for re-design, reduction or elimination. Among those choices are $1.16 million in the elementary school music program, $1.35 million for literacy intervention from grades three through 12, $2.9 million in high school coaching slots and $18 million in transportation.
Many of those same items are on a list of “untouchables,” where participants are asked to choose one item to tell the district, “hands off.”
The district has been gathering stakeholder feedback since the beginning of January and hopes to have a final budget reduction plan in place by Jan. 19. To view the survey and read about the district’s proposed reductions, visit the Web site at www.dcsdk12.org.
Copyright © 2009 - Colorado Community Newspapers Online