Winslow School District Budget Cuts Are Outlined

    The Winslow School District Governing Board approved plans April 1 to reduce expenditures for the 2009-10 school year to match expected decreases in funding due to the state of the economy. Included in the changes were reductions in graduation credits for high school and changes to grade level elementary schools throughout the district, as well as reductions in coaching salaries and stipends throughout the district.
   Community meetings were held Feb. 12 and March 31 to gather and share information as district officials tried to prepare for likely budget cuts. In addition, the school district Web site has a link that the public may use to write in concerns or suggestions to help balance the budget. Many ideas were explored as a result of the community meetings, and district officials believe the plan developed has enough flexibility to carry through the next few years as the economy and the state goes through the current difficulties, according to a press release provided by Assistant Superintendent Doug Watson.
   The district financial challenges include the loss of nearly 40 students, insurance increases, the two percent cut in state funding for the current school year, reductions in Proposition 301 funding for the school district and the state cut for all-day kindergarten, as well as the loss of soft capital monies and building renewal funds. Soft capital is money used to buy books and computers. Building renewal monies are used to keep up and repair the district facilities. While those latter two do not contribute to the salaries of the district employees like the maintenance and operation portions of the budget do, they are still vital components of the overall education of the students. In a worst case scenario, the district is prepared to cover up to $1.6 million in budget cuts.
   At the high school level there has been a reduction in teaching, administrative and office staff. Included in the high school recommendations was to hold the graduation requirements at 23 credits for the 2009-10 school year and roll that back to 22 credits for 2011. To facilitate the reduction in staff, the students will be taking six classes per day as opposed to the current seven classes. They will be released from school 50 minutes earlier than this year, and most of the high school teachers will have a common prep time at the end of the day. Coaches have volunteered to take a 50 percent cut in their coaching salaries, and department chairpersons have given up all of their stipends related to those positions. Total savings from the high school will be around $575,000.
   The junior high is reducing both administrative staff and teaching staff. Those reductions will result in increased class sizes for next year. In addition, the White Mountain League has changed its by-laws to allow schools to participate in what sports and levels the school/district wishes. The junior high is looking at combining the seventh and eighth grade teams next year and having a single school team. Alternatively, the school may charge an athletic fee like the high school does and keep all levels of its sports programs. Those plans will be finalized over the next month.
   At the elementary level, the school district will be adopting a grade level school model similar to that used by other schools in the White Mountain area. Washington Elementary School will house fourth through sixth grades next year, with Jefferson having first through third grades. Bonnie Brennan will be the site of the district kindergarten and preschool classes. This will involve an increase in bus transportation costs, which the state pays for, but it will result in a very large savings to the district. The reductions have allowed for elementary administrative, custodial, maintenance, teaching and classified staff reductions. Class sizes in each grade can be kept about the same, whereas the current model has class sizes varying widely between different elementary schools. The district is committed to keeping the class sizes well under 30 for the next school year and close to 20 for the kindergarten classes. Kindergarten classes will be kept as an all-day program.
   Should the state cuts to education funding require deeper cuts than the plan provides for, the district will employ across the board pay cuts to all personnel from the superintendent on through everyone else. Should the state cuts be less than the district has prepared for, programs and employees will be brought back insofar as the budget will allow.