Scott Swanson
Staff shuffling that will tighten up the Sweet Home School District’s administration is a major component of a proposed $28,287,603 budget approved Tuesday, May 15, by district Budget Committee members.
The budget, which got a unanimous thumbs-up from the 14 committee members present, now goes to the School Board for a public hearing on June 11.
The budget includes more than $1 million in cuts from 2011-12, District Superintendent Don Schrader said. Those include personnel reductions throughout the district in administration, maintenance and certified staff. In several cases, savings will be generated by using teachers instead of administrators to handle things such as student discipline at the high school and junior high.
Schrader and Business Manager Kevin Strong said that while some reductions are permanent, such as staff cuts, some are one-time, such as drawing down the district’s early retirement fund to pay for retirement stipends.
The number of FTE positions in the district has been reduced from 272.65 to 243.04, most due to the switch next fall to a four-day school week, reducing many 40-hour employees to 32, which means they will be counted as .8 FTE.
Other reductions and changes include:
n The combination of the maintenance supervisor and transportation supervisor positions, both of which will be vacant after the resignation earlier this year of Maintenance Supervisor Ron Andrews and the retirement of Transportation Supervisor LD Ellison at the end of the school year. Those positions will be folded into a human resources/transportation director position that will be filled by current junior high Assistant Principal Dave Goetz, whose position won’t be filled. Schrader said Goetz will continue to help with athletic director duties and his disciplinary functions as assistant principal will be assumed by teacher Colleen Henry.
n One vice principal position at the high school is being eliminated, with the athletic director assuming student disciplinary duties formerly assigned to that position.
n Title 1 responsibilities will be assigned to Foster School Principal Glenna DeSouza, who add those to her existing duties.
n A secretarial position and a courier/custodian position in the Maintenance Department are being cut with the retirement of those employees, amounting to 1.85 FTE.
n A half-time secretary at the school district central office will not be replaced, following retirement, and the hours of another Business Office secretary will be reduced.
n A math teaching position at the junior high school will be cut, due to anticipated declining enrollment.
n A half-time special education teacher’s position will be eliminated by combining the high school and junior high behavior classrooms.
n Administrators are considering whether an extended-duty stipend paid to a teacher who oversees the high school newspaper and yearbook could be discontinued, pending negotiations with the licensed staff, because the publications are produced during class time.
n The auto shop program will continue to be offered, but on a reduced basis, due to a decline in student participation. Auto shop teacher Bill Chandler has received a layoff notice and Strong said the classes that will be offered will be taught by another vocational high school teacher. “With the change, we are hopeful that interest in the auto shop program will grow,” he said.
Strong said that the district got a “great surprise” when its estimated workman’s compensation costs dropped this year from $131,048 to $114,048. He said the district has had a six-month run with no reportable accidents, as defined by OSHA, and he said officials hope that will play well with its insurance carrier.
He said another question that people have been asking is how much of the $143,500 water and sewage portion of the plant operation and maintenance budget goes to watering athletic fields.
“We expect to spend approximately $25,000 on irrigation for the soccer/softball/JV baseball field behind the high school, $10,000 for the football field and $6,000 for the varsity baseball field,” he said, adding that efforts are being made to figure out ways to reduce those costs.
“If community members see signs of water leaks when athletic fields are watered this summer, we encourage them to contact the district maintenance department so the leaks can be taken care of as soon as possible,” Strong said.
A report circulated by Schrader noted that the passage of the local option levy for the swimming pool gave the district an additional $153,000 because it can collect a $63,000 state grant awarded to districts that pass such levies and in which per-student property value is below the state average