Proposed school cuts draw 200 to meeting

Even before their official presentation was made to the Cape Girardeau School Board, recommendations for cutting $1.3 million met with a swarm of opposition Monday night.

From a standing-room-only crowd of around 200 people came more than a dozen community and staff members to speak against one or more of superintendent Mark Bowles' recommendations.

The board officially received the recommendations at its meeting Monday, and is scheduled to vote on the issue Jan. 26. But district patrons will have another opportunity to voice concerns over the cuts during a special meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 5.

The recommendations, which include the elimination of six teachers, were based on an extensive list of ideas drawn up by a 109-member task force that met in October and November.

"There are no winners in this situation," said Brenda Woemmel, a teacher who served on the budget task force. "We have come to a point where no matter what the federal or state agencies say, we'll be lowering our standards. We will not be the same district that we are today."

Around 30 students attended, most in support of the Central band program and Josh LaMar, whose position as one of three music teachers is in jeopardy under the current recommendations.

Band director Neil Casey and several community members spoke against firing LaMar, pointing out that it would up the student-teacher ratio by 50 percent, or more than 20 students each, for the remaining two music teachers.

Dr. Walt Lilly, a district resident whose children graduated from Central and participated in the band there, told board members that the loss of LaMar would devastate the program.

"I really believe there is no personnel cut that could be in the district that would threaten as many students as this does," said Lilly.

Central High School athletic director Darrick Smith spoke against the 10 percent reduction of extra-duty activities stipends for employees such as those who teach but also coach.

"It seems to me we're placing a disproportionate amount of cuts on a small group of people," said Smith. The stipend reductions are expected to save $30,000; however, Smith said the idea ranked low as a priority among the original task force members who raised it as a possibility.

Although not one of the recommended cuts for the 2004-05 school year, representatives from Franklin Elementary also spoke at the meeting about the possibility of closing the school.

Bowles asked school board members Monday to consider putting together a task force to look into closing the school and redistributing its students to the district's other elementary schools.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128