Passage of Proposition 100 took some pressure off local school districts to cut more deeply into already reduced budgets.
For the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District, the election made the controversial proposal to close Oak Creek School less likely in 2010-11, COCSD Business Manager David Snyder said.
COCSD already cut its budget using several strategies, including the termination of teacher contracts, Snyder said.
Belt-tightening imposed at the Mingus Union High School District in 2010-11 will probably remain in place through 2012-13, assuming the governing board gives final approval in July, MUHSD Business Manager Kirk Waddle said.
MUHSD cut its budget using several strategies, including the termination of teacher contracts and the restructuring of class schedules to eliminate teacher positions, Waddle said.
The total COCSD budget should come in just under $16 million, of which
$12.3 million will go for operations, including salaries, benefits, plant and ground maintenance, etc., Snyder said.
The total MUHSD budget should come in under $8.1 million, of which
$6.7 million will go for operations, including salaries, benefits, plant and ground maintenance, transportation and supplies, according to Waddle.
The maintenance and operations budget is up slightly at MUHSD thanks to an increase in enrollment, which translates into more money for the school, and savings from last year, Waddle said.
The COCSD maintenance and operations budget is down nearly $1 million compared to last year, Snyder said.
The kindergarten-to-eighth-grade district expects to eliminate 19 teaching positions due to a decline in enrollment and cut back the kindergarten to half days, he said.
“Fortunately, all the additional services our students receive such as P.E., music, computer labs, nursing and counseling are projected to remain the same,” Snyder said.
The story is the same at MUHSD.
“Because we made the necessary reductions starting in 2008-09, combined with attrition, and a couple of layoffs, no programs are impacted,” Waddle said.
The 2010-11 budgets for salaries and the like, however, are back to 2004-05 levels at MUHSD, Waddle said.
Some MUHSD class sizes may also increase in the core courses, he said.
“The economy also has made it necessary to potentially change from the four block schedule to a modified block schedule, which requires fewer teachers,” Waddle said.
“We’ve kept our baseline spending even with the 2008-09 budget and next year’s budget should be very similar and so we are in good shape going into the next two to three years,” he said.
Snyder was less upbeat. He expects more cuts down the road.
“There may be a possibility of an extension of federal funding, as in additional federal stimulus funds, but I do not anticipate any additional revenue from state sources,” he said.
The COCSD board is expected to give final approval to its budget Tuesday, July 13.
The MUHSD board is expected to give final approval to its budget Thursday, July 15.
