Districts Start Making the Cuts, State Moves the Target

After months of community input and discussion, school boards across the state are now facing the reality of the budget calendar. But even as boards start taking official action to slash their budgets, legislative staff broke the news on Wednesday that state cuts to K-12 will grow from the 6.12% originally proposed to 8.8%.  From Ed News Colorado:

The Joint Budget Committee Wednesday afternoon was told it should set a target of $509 million, or 8.8 percent, for what the legislature should trim from the amount schools otherwise would have expected to receive in the 2010-11 budget year.

Some of the casualties so far?  In a Tuesday vote, the Pueblo 70 board decided reluctantly to make the five-day school week a thing of the past:

Board member Bill Bregar, who voted no [to a four-day week] last year, said that with this year’s deficit, the district had to deal with “an 800-pound gorilla in the room.”

“Unless we make a big cut, we are not addressing the 800-pound gorilla. I don’t like the four-day week. My guts tell me the four-day week is not the best decision we can make for kids.  It’s going to have to happen because we have to deal with this serious budget deficit.”

Also on Tuesday, the Douglas County School Board gave preliminary approval to increased class sizes, furlough days, suspension of its pay for performance system, and transportation fees, among other budget strategies:

A total of $15.5 million in cuts is aimed directly at schools. Class sizes would increase on average by a handful of students per class, but the specifics would be up to the individual schools to decide how to best spend their money. . .

Employees would be required to take three furlough days during the school year, creating a savings of $3.8 million. Suspending performance pay for all employees for a year would mean an extra $4.2 million.

In addition, the district’s central office would take a $7.8 million hit, and students would be charged a $1 daily fee for riding the bus.

And in El Paso District 11, action was delayed on many of the most difficult cuts, including ending summer school.  The hearing was difficult:

With the JBC’s action we know it’s only going to get worse.  Take action.

Related posts:

1. Districts facing deep budget cuts, going to voters again
2. Revenue Forecasts and Realities: State Cuts, Student Consequences
3. Denver Post Front Page: Most School Districts Face Budget Cuts
4. Must See TV: 9News Nails It in Story About School Budget Cuts
5. 38 Districts Taking Mill and/or Bonds to Voters: A list and links