Post by slt on Feb 23, 2010 11:49:15 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=361216
U-46 details cuts: Early childhood center, teacher layoffs on list
By Kerry Lester | Daily Herald Staff
More than $31 million in budget cuts for Elgin Area School District U-46 were announced Monday, with more to be hashed out in the coming weeks.
Closing an early childhood center, laying off hundreds of teachers and cutting kindergarten art, music and gym time all will help the district pare down its $48.6 million deficit and deal with a likely reduction in state aid, board members heard.
"My goal is to see that deficit disappear. It's not going to happen next year," Chief Financial Officer Ron Ally said.
Ally broke down the reductions into two categories - $20.7 million that can be made before teachers union negotiations, and $10.5 million that must be brought to the bargaining table.
U-46 plans to institute a four-day summer workweek for administrators, eliminating much conference travel and cutting several central office administrative positions to save $3.5 million.
Closing an early childhood center, reconfiguring early childhood and kindergarten staffing, as well as paring down some elementary art, music and physical education classes, all are expected to save $4.3 million.
Another $10.6 million in savings will come from the middle and high schools - reducing administrators, capping high school course loads at six classes, restructuring athletics and reconfiguring middle school course rotations.
The $10.5 million subject to contract negotiations includes increasing the student-teacher ratio in elementary classes, reducing substitute pay and freezing support staff salaries.
Shortly before the board meeting, the district and the Elgin Teachers Association issued a joint statement saying they plan to begin contract negotiations several weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
By starting early and bringing fewer items to the table than in the past, both sides said Monday they hope for a speedy agreement.
Still to be determined are across-the-board salary reductions and increasing what employees pay for insurance.
The cuts are based on preliminary numbers and assume no salary increases for administrators and other nonunion employees. They also factor in an expected $100 reduction in the per-pupil general state aid foundation level. Ally called state funding a "wild card on the revenue side."
With 80 percent of the district's budgets coming from salaries and benefits, "we will (lay off) much deeper than these numbers, so we are able to be more flexible, should we be required to be more flexible," Ally said.
Elementary schools are preparing for student-teacher ratios of 27:1 in kindergarten through third grades, and 33:1 for fourth through sixth grades, a year after moving to lower class sizes.
This fall, after announcing its largest deficit in nearly a decade, Ally established a budget advisory task force of union leaders, district officials and local leaders to help identify cuts. The task force, along with hundreds of community members, cast anonymous, computerized votes on reductions. Ally called the response, which factored into his recommendation, "tremendous."
The board is expected to approve layoffs in mid-March. A tentative budget will be presented in April.
"My heart's just broken from this situation," said Bartlett High School teacher Gary Lorber, of Wheaton.
U-46 details cuts: Early childhood center, teacher layoffs on list
By Kerry Lester | Daily Herald Staff
More than $31 million in budget cuts for Elgin Area School District U-46 were announced Monday, with more to be hashed out in the coming weeks.
Closing an early childhood center, laying off hundreds of teachers and cutting kindergarten art, music and gym time all will help the district pare down its $48.6 million deficit and deal with a likely reduction in state aid, board members heard.
"My goal is to see that deficit disappear. It's not going to happen next year," Chief Financial Officer Ron Ally said.
Ally broke down the reductions into two categories - $20.7 million that can be made before teachers union negotiations, and $10.5 million that must be brought to the bargaining table.
U-46 plans to institute a four-day summer workweek for administrators, eliminating much conference travel and cutting several central office administrative positions to save $3.5 million.
Closing an early childhood center, reconfiguring early childhood and kindergarten staffing, as well as paring down some elementary art, music and physical education classes, all are expected to save $4.3 million.
Another $10.6 million in savings will come from the middle and high schools - reducing administrators, capping high school course loads at six classes, restructuring athletics and reconfiguring middle school course rotations.
The $10.5 million subject to contract negotiations includes increasing the student-teacher ratio in elementary classes, reducing substitute pay and freezing support staff salaries.
Shortly before the board meeting, the district and the Elgin Teachers Association issued a joint statement saying they plan to begin contract negotiations several weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
By starting early and bringing fewer items to the table than in the past, both sides said Monday they hope for a speedy agreement.
Still to be determined are across-the-board salary reductions and increasing what employees pay for insurance.
The cuts are based on preliminary numbers and assume no salary increases for administrators and other nonunion employees. They also factor in an expected $100 reduction in the per-pupil general state aid foundation level. Ally called state funding a "wild card on the revenue side."
With 80 percent of the district's budgets coming from salaries and benefits, "we will (lay off) much deeper than these numbers, so we are able to be more flexible, should we be required to be more flexible," Ally said.
Elementary schools are preparing for student-teacher ratios of 27:1 in kindergarten through third grades, and 33:1 for fourth through sixth grades, a year after moving to lower class sizes.
This fall, after announcing its largest deficit in nearly a decade, Ally established a budget advisory task force of union leaders, district officials and local leaders to help identify cuts. The task force, along with hundreds of community members, cast anonymous, computerized votes on reductions. Ally called the response, which factored into his recommendation, "tremendous."
The board is expected to approve layoffs in mid-March. A tentative budget will be presented in April.
"My heart's just broken from this situation," said Bartlett High School teacher Gary Lorber, of Wheaton.