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NewsMarch 10, 1992

Following are explanations of the budget cuts provided by the school district. Teachers Fund Elementary Eliminate extended contract for three librarians, $1,372. Librarians are contracted to work three additional days prior to the opening of school to catalogue and shelve new books...

Following are explanations of the budget cuts provided by the school district.

Teachers Fund

Elementary

Eliminate extended contract for three librarians, $1,372. Librarians are contracted to work three additional days prior to the opening of school to catalogue and shelve new books.

Release time for teachers serving on curriculum study committees, $2,000. Substitute teachers have been hired for a half-day six or seven times during a curriculum study, allowing teachers to attend meetings during the school day rather than after school hours.

Teacher assistants/four full-time teachers, $201,000. Current district policies for employing teacher assistants meet or exceed the standards set forth in the Missouri School Improvement Program standards. The recommendation is to meet the minimum standards outlined in Missouri School Improvement Program. Four full-time equivalent teaching positions would be discontinued by allowing administrators to re-assign students between elementary buildings.

Staff reduction in Parents as Teachers program, $31,964. Two of four full-time parent educators to be eliminated and a full-time secretary reduced to half-time.

Reduction in employment of kindergarten assistants, $23,213. The district has a policy to employ a full-time aide for all kindergarten classes. Assistants have been hired for classes of less than 20 students. Kindergarten assistants will be employed when the class size reaches 23.

Kindergarten/First Grade transition room, $25,000. The room serves 10 at-risk students who might not succeed at first grade. Located at May Greene, it serves students from Franklin, Jefferson and Washington.

Secondary

Claim 7th-grade remedial reading teacher as Chapter 1 and receive federal funding, $33,360.

Discontinue early start of vocational school, $1,023. This year, the vocational school opened early to accommodate area schools.

Extra salaries paid to two teachers for the early opening of the vocational school will not be paid next year, $2,179.

Reduce, vocational food services budget, $950.

Reduce extended contracts by 20 percent, $3,166. Staff members employed for more than 183 days to prepare for the start of school receive extra pay. These positions are four counselors with four weeks each, three counselors with five weeks each, three librarians with three weeks each, one band director with one week and one vocational teacher with 4 weeks. For each week, the contract is reduced one day.

Discontinue summer school for 1992, $12,000.

Reduce noon supervision at secondary level, $16,333. Due to liability, $4,000 is allocated to each of the three buildings to employ teachers to supervise students during lunch, cost $12,000.

Increase average class size in math, science, social studies and English from 25 to 28, $140,000. This option will give 28 less sections in grades 7-12 and will mean reducing five to seven full-time teachers.

30-minute noon supervision at Central High, $11,000. Physical education, art, music and industrial arts teachers will be assigned a 30-minute additional duty, such as noon supervision.

Drop swimming in physical education classes in grades 8, 9 and 10, $32,450. Eliminate the swim pool coordinator position and teacher aide presently employed.

Eliminate half-time band instructor, $12,500. Three teachers are assigned to 8th grade, 9th grade and 10-12th grade band. Two teachers would be assigned to these bands.

Eliminate driver's education, $60,000. The program would not be offered during the school year, but could be offered in the summer as a self-supporting program.

Eliminate Saturday School for Central High and Junior High, $1,800. Saturday School is a discipline alternative for students.

Other

Eliminate the position of assistant director of special services, $40,000. This position was held last year by Betty Chong, now director of special services. It had not been filled.

Reduce counselors' extra week by 20 percent, $6,500. The contract reduction would mean one day less for elementary counselors and four days for secondary counselors.

Administrative cuts/eliminate one elementary principal, $77,000. Two schools, likely May Greene and Washington, will share one principal. The principal at Franklin School has already announced his resignation. Administrators will be assigned new duties.

Incidental Fund

Elementary

Elementary Swimming Program, $8,786. Voluntary extra-curricular activity offered to third and fourth grade students once each school year. Discontinued.

Principal's Professional Development, $1,800. Two elementary principals attend the National Association of Elementary Principal's annual convention. Eliminated.

Balance the kindergarten snack budget, $4,708. The district spends more for snacks than it collects in fees. Better controls include less expensive snacks.

Secondary

Reduce secondary instructional supplies, $13,240.

Reduce secondary departmental supplies, $9,330.

Reduce vocational school long distance telephone calls, $500.

Reduce the number of hours a part-time vocational school secretary works, $800.

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Increase cost of gym rentals, would generate $2,400.

Reduce asbestos maintenance budget, $10,000. Money is transferred from another fund as needed to the incidental fund for this expense.

Reduce contracted services and building upkeep, $45,000. District personnel will do the repairs.

Reduce upkeep of grounds budget, $14,000. This includes playgrounds, parking lots, landscaping and related supplies.

Eliminate truant officer position, $9,400. Approximately 1,900 students would need to be contacted by the truant officer to justify the salary and benefits.

Reduce non-instructional supplies, $20,000.

Discontinue custodial uniforms, $4,000. Most custodians do not wear uniforms.

Reduce maintenance vehicles, $4,000. Consider purchasing one new or good used maintenance vehicle.

Reduce travel payments for professional development, $14,000.

Eliminate one and a half custodial positions, $26,000.

Eliminate full-time library aide shared by Central High and L.J. Schultz, $8,000.

Set 1992 instructional apparatus budget at $15,000. The committee notes no actual savings as the 1991 actual expenditures were only $14,500.

Reduce the summer paint crew budget for one year, $13,000.

Reduce one half-time media secretarial position at the board office, $7,000.

Eliminate Pony driver position, $12,000. Pony is a school district message and delivery service.

Transportation

Increase eligible bus riders to 1.5 miles for elementary students and 2 miles for secondary students, $57,000. This would eliminate the need for at least three school buses.

Eliminate elementary field trips, $4,500.

Discontinue late buses at grades 7, 8 and 9, $4,500. Late buses operate two days a week for students at L.J. Schultz and Central Junior High who are involved in after-school activities.

Extra-curricular activities

Eliminate one season of softball, $6,052. Softball is the only program at Central High with more than one season.

Reduce the athletic budget across the board, $37,506.

Increase admission fees to home activities, will generate $10,000.

Eliminate food money for students participating in away extra-curricular contests, $10,000. If students will be away for more than 6 hours, a sack lunch could be provided through the school's cafeteria.

Eliminate school-funded transportation for cheerleaders, $1,403. A bus was rented during football season to transport 16 cheerleaders to away games. The Junior High rented three buses during the year.

Special education

Reduce budget for earthquake supplies, $8,000.

Reduce budget for nurses' supplies, $2,400. Nurses will no longer provide Tylenol for staff or gelusil antacid for students.

Elimination of SRA testing, $10,000. The test is under criticism for aging norms and will likely be withdrawn from publication or revised.

Reduce supplies for gifted program, $4,600.

Reduce supplies for special education programs, $4,200.

Reduce secondary guidance budget, $3,145. The budget includes counselor-related testing, paper, furniture and office supplies.

Reduce contractual testing, $5,000. State and local guidelines require that diagnostic evaluations be done within 30 days. Now, examiners are employed at an hourly wage to meet that requirement. Testing responsibilities can be redistributed according to need.

Cafeteria

Eliminate one and a half positions, $12,000.

Travel

Cut travel budget for Board of Education by half, $5,000.

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