Proposed cuts ëpainful,í superintendent says
Posted: 2/7/02
by John Gessner
Staff Writer
Proposed budget cuts in School District 191 would eliminate 86 teaching positions, institute all-day, every-other-day kindergarten, reduce junior high class periods to six and increase walking distances for secondary students to 1.5 miles.
Cuts would also change school start and end times, eliminate the DARE program, close the Burnsville High School swimming pool and eliminate one of the three levels in each of six high school sports.
But the cuts protect class sizes in elementary schools and in ìcoreî courses at the secondary level, said Ben Kanninen, superintendent of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district.
And the plan doesnít call for closing an elementary school, though Kanninen said that remains an option in future years if chronic budget problems persist.
The 32-point plan to save $5.5 million to balance the 2002-03 budget was explained by district administrators in a Feb. 5 press briefing.
ìThereís a constituency for everything that we do,î Kanninen said. ìThatís why reducing roughly 6 percent of what we do ó and thatís what this plan does ó is so terribly painful.î
But administrators said the plan adheres to the wishes of focus-group participants to protect class sizes. Officials convened a series of focus groups to discuss district priorities after the failure of a Nov. 6 levy referendum, proceeds from which would have eliminated about $3.6 million of the districtís $5.7 million deficit.
ìWe expect class sizes for the most part will be similar next year at the elementary level to what they are this year,î said Gerry Ackermann, assistant superintendent for instruction.
In secondary grades, class sizes in core subjects will be protected, though there will be ìfewer opportunities and/or larger sections, especially moving away from the core,î Kanninen said.
The School Board has set a budget-cutting target of $5 million. The plan totals 110 percent of the target, giving board members some choices at decision time.
Teaching
positions
The plan eliminates 27 elementary teaching positions ó most of them media specialists, resource teachers and art, science, physical education and music specialists ó for a savings of $1.03 million.
Classroom teachers would have to do more of the specialized instruction, and students would spend about 25 extra minutes per day under an educational assistantís supervision, Ackermann said.
Twenty junior high positions would be cut, saving $642,400. The school day would be reduced from seven periods to six at Nicollet and Metcalf and from from eight to six at Eagle Ridge (but it wouldnít be shortened). Fewer periods require fewer teachers ó a tradeoff for containing class sizes, Kanninen said.
Having fewer, longer periods allows for greater instructional depth but limits studentsí course options, he said.
High school staffing would be cut by 10.6 positions ó effects of which include fewer elective offerings.
Another $1.13 million would come from cuts in other instructional areas. Three and a half of the districtís 21 English as a second language positions would be cut. Special education would lose 11 full-time positions and its budget would be frozen, saving $1.2 million. Ackermann said the teacher-student ratio for the most severely disabled students would be protected.
Focus groups generally favored seeking savings in special education, Kanninen said.
Transportation
Savings of $650,000 would come from eliminating noon kindergarten transportation (all-day, every-other-day kindergarten), increasing secondary walking distances from one mile to 1.5, eliminating some activity buses and adding another tier to the three-tiered system of school start and end times.
The kindergarten change would save $200,000. ìIt eliminates noon buses,î Kanninen said.
Adding a tier to the schedule would reduce the bus fleet by 10, saving $300,000.
ìBut some schools are going to start very early in the morning to get that fourth tier in,î Ackermann said. ìAnd some schools will start very late in the morning.î
Administrative
and support
services
Savings of $400,000 would be achieved by cutting school-based and central-office administrative and support positions.
Also proposed are cuts in custodial and maintenance staff, reduced nursing services, elimination of district funding for family-support workers and elimination of a curriculum-writing position.
Savings total $908,000.
Other cuts
Other proposed cuts include:
ï Closing the Burnsville High School pool, saving $75,000. Because few students take a swimming elective at the high school, the pool serves mostly the school swim teams and youth teams, Ackermann said. If the pool is closed, school teams would practice and compete at the Eagle Ridge Junior High pool in Savage.
ìThe real issue is to get out from under the operating costs,î Kanninen said. Swim boosters are lining up to oppose the plan.
ï Increasing fees for co-curricular activities and building rentals, generating $80,000.
ï Eliminating one level from each of the following three-level high school sports programs: football, volleyball, boysí and girlsí soccer, boysí and girlsí basketball, softball and baseball. Savings would total $36,000.
ï Eliminating the DARE drug-resistance program, saving $20,000.
Whatís next?
The School Board received the plan Feb. 7. Public hearings are scheduled for Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at all three junior highs and Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at Diamondhead Education Center.
Final board action is scheduled for March 7.
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