At least 11 teachers face layoff this year, part of Clarkston Community Schools? budget proposal calling for $1.6 million in spending cuts and increased earnings.
Cuts include 11.4 full-time employee salaries, $570,000, through layoff of full- and part-time teachers; four full-time Academic Development support positions, $200,000; $150,000 cuts in special education; $175,000 in new curriculum adoptions, textbooks; $81,460 in per-pupil funding to principals; $45,000 for conferences; and $25,000 in capital outlay support costs.
Cuts to Academic Development, which helps teachers collect and review student-performance data, will probably not mean four laid-off employees, said Superintendent Dr. Al Roberts.
‘Their amount of time will be cut back,? Roberts said.
The plan also includes $401,540 in new revenue: transfer of six students back to the school district, $45,516; $140 more in state per-pupil funding, totaling $325,840; and $30,184 for four students in the district child care program.
Even with the cuts and revenue, preliminary revenues fall short of spending by $4,014,318. The difference would come out of the district’s fund balance, reducing it from $11.4 million to $7.3 million.
Dipping into reserves is better than more cuts, Roberts said.
‘We must continue to act, look, taste, smell, and be a thriving district to attract kids,? he said. ‘If that means the fund equity, my advice would be to do that.?
Fund equity is important, but growing budget deficits, projected to cut into the fund balance until it disappears in 2011, is also a concern, said board President Stephen Hyer.
‘We don’t want to spend money on interest to borrow ? that would be money better spend in the classroom,? Hyer said. ‘But we’re going in the opposite way from where we want to go to get to a balanced budget.?
‘I don’t think anyone is against spending some of the fund equity,? said board Treasurer Ronald Sullivan. ‘Just at what level? This is a guessing game ? I hate to say that.?
Cuts are hard to reverse, said board Secretary Joan Patterson.
‘I support Dr. Roberts ? we should be careful with cuts,? Patterson said. ‘Once we make a cut, it’s hard to bring back.?
More specific staffing decisions will be made at the April 28 Board of Education meeting. Laid-off employees can be recalled, but according to contract, layoffs must be made by the end of April.