The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Board votes to slash $317,000
School district closes budget gap with staff reorganizations
By Edward Freundl, Heritage Newspapers
PUBLISHED: March 22, 2007
The Manchester Board of Education agreed Monday to slice $317,000 from the district's budget, but only through a complex combination of reassignments, reorganizations and outright job cuts.
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The 18 measures proposed were distilled from dozens of suggestions coming from parents, school staff, administrators and the public over the past several months.
They included a range of items that were projected to save from $1,500 to $65,000.
Just three items, all personnel-related, accounted for more than half of the that $317,000.
Those included:
•Eliminating one of five fifth-grade classes, saving $65,000.
•Changing the way alternative education, at-risk and Title I programs are funded, $55,000.
•Cutting one custodial position, $45,000.
Other big-ticket items included shifting staffers in community education, high school office and athletic department, $45,000; decreasing the number of hours for the high school assistant principal, $25,000; and eliminating busing from the high school to the middle school, $19,000.
None of the cuts was entirely palatable, but those affecting personnel drew the most criticism.
"I understand why you had to do it, but I'm severely disappointed with the cuts to the support staff," said Steve Bird, support staff union representative. "You're cutting into our livelihood, and pretty soon there won't be anywhere else to cut."
Board of Education President Ron Ellison said eliminating staff wasn't something the board wanted to do, but trustees were faced with some difficult decisions.
"This isn't the first year we've had to make cuts, and it isn't fun," he said.
Some suggestions from the original list of $490,000 in reductions were placed off-limits because of their possible long-term consequences.
The kindergarten and second-grade classes were left untouched, for example, even though changes could have resulted in more than $106,000 in savings.
Board Vice President Marlene Wagner reminded Superintendent David Oegema that there also had been a number of revenue-generating suggestions submitted along with the cost reductions.
"The problem is, most of it is not guaranteed, so it's out of our hands," Oegema said.
"We're looking at advertising on buses and the ball fields, and looking over our rental policies for district buildings, but those aren't numbers you can count on."
Edward Freundl is a reporter for Heritage Newspapers. He can be reached at 428-8173 or efreundl@heritage.com.
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