School Board eyeing painful cuts to budget

Rising costs and cuts to revenue lead to lean year

To offset funding reductions and rising costs while still providing teacher raises, Grand Canyon school officials are looking for $100,000 in cuts to an already-lean budget.

In a well-attended budget work session on Tuesday, April 8, School Board members offered a blunt assessment of the district's finances, saying that jobs will be included in the cuts.

"It's a reality that we are very likely to be eliminating positions at this school and for us not to say that, and to sugar-coat the situation is, I think, giving a false sense to people," said Board member Chuck Wahler.

According to preliminary budget figures offered by School Business Manager Lee Metheny, the district expects to raise $3.7 million, about $51,000 less than needed to maintain the status quo. Each 1 percent pay increase would require an additional $20,000 in funding.

"We need to find $100,000 in this process to offer any kind of meaningful raise," said Wahler.

Metheny said that the shortfall is the result of decreases in state and federal money and rising costs, including a 65-percent hike in vehicle fuel and a 28-percent increase in propane.

While the state must give an extra 2 percent this year, the district is estimating revenue at last year's levels in anticipation that the increase will be offset by funding cuts elsewhere.

"We're operating on the assumption, whether it's valid or not, that the budget we're going to have for 2008-2009 has roughly the same dollars as 2007-2008 because all indications are while the legislature is required to give us 2 percent in certain places, they're likely to suck out dollars in other places," Wahler said.

Superintendent Sheila Breen provided a list of possible reductions adding up to more than $300,000, saying that they are projecting two years out so that the district is in sync with the state legislature, which is planning around two deficit years. Teacher Jason Evans questioned why such drastic cuts weren't part of the first budget discussion work session two weeks ago.

"Two weeks ago, we came to a meeting and none of these things were cut," he said. "I don't know what's changed in two weeks."

"There's no way that everything on here is ever going to happen," Wahler said. "We never could do all of this."

Board members noted that during that initial discussion, they came to the conclusion that projected revenue was about $51,000 less than projected need.

"We had to have somewhere to start," said Board member Bess Foster. "We had to see where we were at to have somewhere to move forward from and the reality was that we were already short in the existing budget if we wanted to keep everything the way it is right now, without any pay increases or anything."

Board member Suzette Streit said that they had requested a list of suggestions.

"We asked the administration to kind of brainstorm and come up with some ideas and we also kind of just wanted to see some dollar figures," she said.

Teachers expressed their concerns that they'd bear the brunt of the cuts in the form of insufficient raises.

"What we're asking you guys to do is cut in other places and not just teachers, teachers, teachers," said teacher Terry Tobin.

Board members said they expect that everyone will feel the pinch.

"Just like in the real world, there are lean times and there are fat times," said Foster. "This is a lean time. This is a time when everyone's going to have to suck it up and realize it's going to affect everyone."

The list contained some items that Breen recommended over the next two years, as well as some others for discussion. Some things, like funding for classroom supplies and overnight trips will almost certainly be cut, with some staffing changes recommended this year followed by cuts in certified staff in 2009-2010.

For the coming school year, she advised reducing the full-time technology instructor position to .6-time and hiring an aide or teacher rather than a certified librarian to replace Nancy Green, who is retiring.

Teachers expressed concern about losing a certified librarian.

"When a librarian goes away from a school, he or she rarely returns," said high school English teacher Cynthia Granberg.

Breen said the move, which could save between $26,000-$44,000, would just be for a year or two.

"I think it's a valuable position, but I think it's also one that we could do that a little bit differently for a short period of time and still be OK," she said. "I think as soon as we can though, we want someone who's a qualified librarian."

She also recommended eliminating the building maintenance class anticipating that some of those students would enroll in either culinary arts or hospitality programs funded by the county based on class size.

"It's not a cost savings, but if we eliminate building maintenance, the students might go into vo-tech programs and open us up for more funding," she said.

For the coming year, she also recommended reducing the number of extra work days for the school counselor and dean of students position. Together, they are paid for an extra 24 days outside of their contracts for things like preparing transcripts and working on scheduling.

Deeper staff cuts are recommended for 2009-10, including elimination of the dean of students/MYP coordinator position after Becky Crumbo retires and cutting two high school teachers, one for English and one for math.

Alternatively, they could reduce one of those positions and convert it to a half-time librarian and half-time MYP coordinator, Breen said.

"It's rare that a high school staff with less than 100 kids to have to two math teachers and two English teachers," she said. "If it's not working we can rehire the positions."

Teachers urged the Board to take into account the weaknesses that high school students currently show in those subjects before making any cuts.

Other suggested cuts that weren't necessarily endorsed include eliminating most non-sport, extra-duty stipends, leaving only Area of Interaction leaders, Community and Service coordinator and a Gifted program coordinator.

"For things like class sponsors, we would eliminate stipends," said Breen. "Teachers would do it as part of their contracts and tack the savings on salaries spread out over more people."

She also proposed eliminating overnight travel paid for by the district for a savings in fuel, hotel rooms and driver pay. Metheny said that often, drivers are being paid overtime for the duration of the trips.

"That's a significant expense to us," Breen said.

Head Coach Dan Lopez said they could start with non-conference away games with schools such as Beaver Dam, Rock Point and St. Michaels.

"I'd be more than happy as the basketball coach to just go to our conference games," he said. "We're in a unique position that all of those new charter schools in Phoenix are dying to come up here and play."

For their next budget meeting, the Board directed the administration to come up with numbers for discussion surrounding other possible cuts.

Wahler asked them to find $10,000 in cuts to the athletic budget and called for reducing the supply budget by $16,000 with half coming from maintenance and half from classroom expenditures.

Last year, they budged $1,250 for each teacher - $1,000 for classroom supplies and the remainder for personal teaching supplies. Breen suggested reducing that to $500 for the classroom, $150 for teachers.

He also called for cutting $4,000 in extra duty days and eliminating a custodial position.

"That's just a third of what we need," he said.

Foster asked for an accounting on what the sports programs cost overall, as well as for the costs associated with International Baccalaureate.

Also, as "something to think about," Breen listed suggested combining the principal and superintendent jobs to have one administrator on site.

"We have two administrators," she said. "It's been that way for decades but it doesn't have to stay that way."

The Board also briefly discussed what to do with a $100,000 donation from Xanterra, noting that it's not money they can count on year-to-year. Breen suggested using it for a one-time capital need like buying a new Bobcat as well as possibly giving some to teachers as a one-time bonus that wouldn't become a permanent part of their base salary.

"If things get lean for them, it will be the first thing to go. It's not going to be there forever," said Foster.

Streit said that the stipulation was that it should go directly to students, but Breen said she was told it could be used on anything and agreed to clarify.

The Board held another meeting last Monday, too late to update this story.