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EAST GRAND FORKS: Spending School: EGF Budget Cuts on the Table at Tonight's Meeting

Posted on: Thursday, 9 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Paulette Tobin, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

Mar. 9--Patrons of the East Grand Forks School District will have another chance this afternoon to tell School Board members what they think of a list of suggested cuts in the board's quest to trim $1 million from next year's budget.

That opportunity to comment and ask questions will come at 5 p.m. today at a special School Board meeting on the budget in the East Grand Forks Senior High School library.

Last month, the School Board received two lists of possible cuts to the 2006-2007 budget. For the 2005-2006 school year, the school district expects to spend $15 million. With projected revenues of $14 million, the district is looking at overspending its budget this year by about $1 million.

The deficit for 2005-2006 could be less than what has been projected, school officials have said, because enrollment figures have held steady this year, compared with previous years in which East Grand Forks lost dozens of students between the first and last days of school.

But if the budget projections bear out, the district could begin the 2006-2007 budget cycle with a fund balance of $616,370, down from $1.7 million the previous year. If things keep going as they have, the district could spend its general fund balance down to zero, and the School Board and administration don't want that.

Even so, school officials have made it clear that they're not looking forward to making cuts; they feel they have no choice.

How has it come to this?

Three years of no increases in state aid to schools and declining enrollment, officials have said. Every student lost means the loss of thousands of dollars in state aid.

There have been questions about why East Grand Forks hasn't asked taxpayers to do more to support the schools. The School District passed on the chance to put an operating levy referendum on the ballot last fall, which - if it had passed - could have raised local taxes to shore up the budget. The board could vote to put a referendum on this November's ballot, but, even if it passed, that money wouldn't be available until 2007-2008.

Superintendent Walt Aanenson has said he doesn't want to ask taxpayers for more money until he can assure them that everything has been done to economize. The School Board has supported him.

Proposed cuts

The first list of cuts the School Board is considering totaled just over $1 million. The second list, totaling $148,822, were "last resort" types of cuts, school officials were told.

The first list of proposed cuts included everything from eliminating some teachers, janitors and coaches to doing away with cheerleading and performing the school musicals only every other year to reducing the budget for supplies by 20 percent and cutting $80,000 in new textbooks.

Some of the employee cuts would mean not replacing employees who resigned or retired. Others would mean putting two teachers on unrequested leaves of absence.

The second list included trimming the district's all-day, every-day kindergarten program to all-day, every-other-day, and eliminating one section of fourth grade.

With the proposed reductions at the elementary level, class sizes would be 21.6 students for first grade sections, 23.2 for second grade, 28.2 for third grade, 24.2 for fourth grade and 27 for fifth grade. Two class sections would be eliminated in the elementary schools.

The first list of proposals included cutting two middle school football coaches, one middle school basketball coach and one high school football coach. There would be one unrequested teacher leave of absence at the elementary level and one at the middle school level.

Tobin reports on education, teen news and special events. Reach her at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134; or ptobin@gfherald.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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