by Derrick Williams
Thisweek Newspapers

On Nov. 7 residents in the Lakeville Area School District told the School Board in no uncertain terms to start cutting the budget. People, it seems, are done paying higher taxes.

At the School Board's Nov. 28 meeting, the process by which the district will begin making those cuts was outlined and the public was asked to join in on the fun.

Superintendent Gary Amoroso spoke to the board about the schedule for looking at and making those cuts. All told, Amoroso said there will be 11 public opportunities during meetings and study sessions for the issue to be discussed.

"We believe that the schools are the community's schools," he said. "As we are going down this pathway, it's going to be very important for the community to provide us with input, so that the decisions we make are ones that we agree with and understand."

The best way for residents in the Lakeville Area School District to voice their opinions will be on Wed. Dec. 6 during an open house at Kenwood Trail Middle School. From 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., the public will have the opportunity to review data, ask questions and provide feedback to the board and administration.

The numbers right now don't look good. Lakeville Schools are facing between a $5.2 to $7.2 million deficit in 2007-2008 and that range could change by another million dollars depending how this year's enrollment totals, which are trending down, effect this year's budget.

Enrollment projections can be fickle. Higher enrollment means more money by way of state funding. Superintendent Gary Amoroso said there is a chance that lower-than-expected enrollment numbers this year can create another $1 million hole in next year's budget, pushing the deficit even higher.

The nature of the current numbers are a result of not knowing whether the state will increase education funding by 3 percent, as they've said they would, or not. If the state increases funding, then the deficit will be lower, closer to $5.2 million. If the state does not increase funding, then the district faces a larger $7.2 million hole.

In November, immediately following the levy vote, Amoroso touched on what the district could see in terms of cuts.

Just looking at the numbers from a straight formula perspective, according to Amoroso, the district, assuming it faced just a $5.2 million deficit, would be looking at around 105 full-time positions cut as well as another $500,000 in funding cuts from areas like transportation and supplies. If the deficit ranges closer to $7.2 million, then the district will need to cut closer to 150 full-time positions and $750,000 in additional funds.

"We're not just talking about losing teachers here," Amoroso said. "Unfortunately, we'd look at teachers, administration, janitors and other staff."

By cutting staff, Amoroso pointed out, programs will more than likely be cut as well.

"Who staffs the programs," Amoroso asked. "You need teachers to staff the programs. The two go hand-in-hand. When you cut staff, you impact programs."

Derrick Williams is at lakeville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.