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Mitigating school cuts means sacrifice by all
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The news from the La Grande School District last week was sobering. The
district, under the state’s best- and worst-case scenarios for
anticipated revenue for the next biennium, will see at least $1.2
million and as much as $2.8 million cut from its $15 million annual
budget. A district the size of La Grande can’t make those kinds of cuts
without impacting the quality of our kids’ educational experience.
La Grande is not in this alone. All school districts, which have relied on state income tax revenue since Measure 5 was passed in 1990, are in a similar situation. State income tax revenue is down, therefore the money available for services is down. And education takes up the lion’s share of state revenue. La Grande Superintendent Larry Glaze and Business Manager Chris Panike have developed a three-stage budget scenario — best-case to worst-case. At the heart of the plan, wisely, is “preserving the core function — the classroom education of our students.’’ Although the plan clearly keeps that mission in mind, there is little doubt that no matter what scenario has to be adopted, the cuts will be felt — by students, by staff, by the entire community. And, as the budget scenario projects, the cuts will need to be shared by all, from administration to teaching staff to classified employees. We’re in an economic situation that demands that everyone must be willing to sacrifice. In the private sector, that has meant layoffs, wage freezes and furloughs. Public sector employees, though mostly unionized, must be willing to share the burden, too. That should translate to accepting salary freezes for the sake of sparing jobs. Everyone is in this economic crunch together. How severe is it? For the La Grande district, Stage 1 means cuts at the district office, axing three teaching positions at the high school and the elimination of funding for athletics and other activities. Coaching costs are preserved in Stage 1, meaning that the community would have a chance to raise the $154,000 to pay the other costs associated with sports and activities. Stage 2 removes coaching salaries ($177,700) and forces the high school to cut $256,000 (five FTE), LMS to cut $205,000 (four FTE) and the elementary level to cut $153,500 (three FTE). Staff cuts would be determined by principals. Stage 3 implements a four-day school week, most of which ($500,000) would be borne by the non-teaching, or classified, staff — a 20 percent reduction in pay. That’s a significant hit. The reality is that one of these scenarios will guide the district’s 2009-10 budget. Even if state tax revenues begin to rebound later this year, it won’t do school districts any good for the coming year. Remember, revenue beyond budgeted amounts goes to the kicker, not to make up lost services. The picture isn’t pretty. For the next year at least, public education in Oregon is going to have a very different look, and there’s little that can be done about it. Federal stimulus money could help offset some of the lost revenue, but certainly not most. Mitigating some of the impact of the cuts demands that all school district employees be willing to sacrifice. But then brace yourselves. Cuts to other state-funded services like higher ed, public safety and senior services, are still pending. Those cuts will take a bite, too. And again, everyone will need to do their part. |
