News
ENLARGE
SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit School District officials will seek input from teachers, taxpayers, parents, students and other community members tonight on more than $1 million in proposed budget cuts.
The district is being forced to slash its expenses for the 2010-2011 school year, as state coffers have been depleted by the weak economy. On the table are salary freezes, staff reductions, fewer interscholastic sports, health-insurance cuts and increased course loads for teachers.
The district will not know until later this spring the exact number by which it will have to reduce its expenditures for next school year. However, officials are planning for cuts to the school system's general fund ranging from 4 to 6.7 percent — or about $800,000 to $1.4 million.
Since more than 80 percent of the district's expenditures are in the form of staff salaries and benefits, most of the proposed budget cuts will affect the number of staff in the district and the levels at which they are compensated for their work. Across-the-board staff reductions of 3.3 percent — one of the highest-dollar items on the proposed list — would pare an estimated $222,000 from the general fund. Another $154,000 could be trimmed by reducing coordination of the International Baccalaureate program. Reducing teachers' planning time (or their compensation for it), thereby decreasing the number of staff required to cover the same courses, could cut expenses by more than $275,000.
Summit School District is in better shape than some other districts around Colorado, in which hundreds of staff will likely be laid off and instructional resources will be significantly reduced. The Pueblo 70 School District's board voted earlier this month to implement a four-day school week next year in efforts to cut its budget by $5.8 million. The Pueblo board is also considering a proposal to merge two of its middle schools; Summit has not entertained the idea of closing any of its facilities.
Summit officials will also seek feedback Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Summit Middle School on ways to grow the pot of money available to educate local students. The district has thrown out the idea of going to voters in November for a special mill levy which, if approved, could supply $1.7 million in additional revenue. Administrators have also proposed the use of $300,000 in reserve funds, which could reduce the pain next year by delaying some cuts until the following year.
The district is being forced to slash its expenses for the 2010-2011 school year, as state coffers have been depleted by the weak economy. On the table are salary freezes, staff reductions, fewer interscholastic sports, health-insurance cuts and increased course loads for teachers.
The district will not know until later this spring the exact number by which it will have to reduce its expenditures for next school year. However, officials are planning for cuts to the school system's general fund ranging from 4 to 6.7 percent — or about $800,000 to $1.4 million.
Since more than 80 percent of the district's expenditures are in the form of staff salaries and benefits, most of the proposed budget cuts will affect the number of staff in the district and the levels at which they are compensated for their work. Across-the-board staff reductions of 3.3 percent — one of the highest-dollar items on the proposed list — would pare an estimated $222,000 from the general fund. Another $154,000 could be trimmed by reducing coordination of the International Baccalaureate program. Reducing teachers' planning time (or their compensation for it), thereby decreasing the number of staff required to cover the same courses, could cut expenses by more than $275,000.
Summit School District is in better shape than some other districts around Colorado, in which hundreds of staff will likely be laid off and instructional resources will be significantly reduced. The Pueblo 70 School District's board voted earlier this month to implement a four-day school week next year in efforts to cut its budget by $5.8 million. The Pueblo board is also considering a proposal to merge two of its middle schools; Summit has not entertained the idea of closing any of its facilities.
Summit officials will also seek feedback Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Summit Middle School on ways to grow the pot of money available to educate local students. The district has thrown out the idea of going to voters in November for a special mill levy which, if approved, could supply $1.7 million in additional revenue. Administrators have also proposed the use of $300,000 in reserve funds, which could reduce the pain next year by delaying some cuts until the following year.
