By Nicole Falco
The District 13 Board of Education voted Tuesday night to approve a reduced spending plan for the 2004-05 school year. The revised proposal calls for an 8.81 percent increase, down from the 9.9 percent hike originally proposed and then rejected by voters on May 18.
While we believe the first budget was solid and strong, we also felt that putting up the same budget would have been disrespectful to the community, said Dr. Elizabeth Lison, superintendent of schools.
Last Tuesday, voters cast 1,030 ballots in favor of the $31.7 million budget and 1,077 against it. Rather than put the same budget up for a revote or forgo a revote and operate on a contingency budget, the district will ask voters to approve an amended budget of $31.3 million. The revote is scheduled for June 15. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at all four district schools.
The new proposal translates into an average tax increase of $314, or 86 cents a day. The original proposal would have driven taxes up by $351 for the average homeowner.
If the amended budget fails, the district will be forced to operate under contingency, which would mean it would have to cut almost $1.8 million more. Cuts would probably be made to staff and programs, since much of the budget-to-budget increase is being driven by mandated and contractual expenses, including increases in retirement fund costs and health insurance costs.
In order to reduce the budget, the district eliminated one teaching position in each of its four school buildings, much to the dismay of many residents who attended Tuesday night-s board meeting.
We felt we had to cut from somewhere, Bonnie Gorham, board president, said in her opening remarks to more than 100 people gathered at the James A. Dever School. We tried to put forth cuts that would have the least impact on our programs. ... We were faced with making those very tough choices that we did not make the first go-round.
Residents were given the opportunity to address the board prior to its adoption of the revised budget. At least 15 did so, many calling for the board to reinstate the four teachers and find an alternative area in which to trim, possibly technology. Others suggested putting the same budget up for a revote.
Included in the original budget and maintained in the amended plan is approximately $300,000 to create a wide area network that would allow Internet access in each school. The money would also fund a technology specialist and support staff. The district has tried to advance its technology program each year, and school officials said they do not want to fall behind. The district is eligible for reimbursement from the federal government that would offset the cost by almost one third.
Natalie Vedilago, a district parent, presented a petition to the board calling for it to reconsider cutting the four positions and to defer the next phase of its technology plan to next year. Vedilago and a handful of parents initiated the petition last week and collected more than 350 signatures, including those of district parents, residents whose children have already graduated and senior citizens.
Vedilago said she felt let down after the board voted to adopt the revised budget that included the staff reductions. We gave them our opinion, and that wasn-t taken into consideration, she said.
However, she added, I would not vote against the budget, because I would never want to go into austerity.
PTA leaders Karin Waslo and Cheryl Tansey said the PTA will be mobilizing an effort to get the budget passed June 15. I know that our PTAs will get our parents out to vote, Waslo said. We can absorb the four teachers. It-s not ideal, but it-s doable. It-s certainly more doable than an austerity cut and 25 teachers.
District officials said one teacher would be cut from each school. The district is currently assessing which grade would be least affected by the loss of a teacher. Even with the staff reduction, class size would remain well below the district-s policy. In kindergarten, class size is kept below 26; in grades one to three it is below 25; and in grades four to six it is below 30.
The $75.97 million high school budget was approved by voters last Tuesday. District 13-s transportation proposition was narrowly defeated. Of the 2,149 ballots cast, 50.5 percent were against changing transportation requirements. District officials have said that the defeat of the budget may have been due to the community-s desire to maintain its current transportation policy. The transportation proposition will not be put up for a revote.
