Christina School Board will vote to reduce teaching staff and programs at tonight’s board meeting, one of a number of cuts it will be forced to make if its June referendum doesn't pass.
A failed referendum would leave a deficit of about $10 million. If voters approve the tax increase, the cuts would likely be restored.
But decisions to eliminate teaching positions must be made before the vote — by state law, any teachers who would be laid off must be notified by May 15.
The board has debated potential cost-saving options for weeks, considering possibilities like cutting sports and arts programs; eliminating Chinese immersion classes, or consolidating its three high schools into two.
“We’re trying to make the best worst-decision possible,” board president Meredith Griffin said at an April board meeting. “We are piece by piece peeling away the things that make Christina viable not just to residents here now, but to those who may be looking to locate here later.”
After a failed referendum attempt a year ago, the district cut 63 teaching positions in to shrink a $9 million deficit.
LAST YEAR: After failed referendum, Christina School District eliminates 63 positions
Over the past three years, the district has reduced staffing by 121 employees, according to the district’s referendum FAQ.
The board will decide tonight how many positions will be cut next year. Because of the Wilmington Schools Partnership, an agreement with the state to work to improve Wilmington schools, only positions in suburban schools would be affected.
“Any of these reductions are going to cause the buildings to be very lean,” Superintendent Richard Gregg told the board on April 28. “We’re going to be limping along.”
The referendum would bring in up to $24.5 million to cover operating expenses and restore past cuts. First, the district is asking voters to approve a tax increase of 39 cents per $100 of assessed property value, which would be phased in over three years.
If voters approve that, they also have the option to pass an additional 5 cent tax increase.
The capital portion of the referendum would approve up to $10 million in bonds, which would go toward electrical and HVAC renovations, as well as classroom renovations at Christiana High School, the expansion of Downes Elementary School and auditorium renovations at Newark High School.
Referendums are the only way districts can raise taxes. Facing dwindling state funding and stagnant property taxes, some districts have had no other choice but to ask voters to approve tax hikes.
For years, lawmakers have attempted to change Delaware’s school funding structure, but bills that would allow districts to raise taxes without a public vote have never made it out of General Assembly committees.
“This isn’t a Christina issue, this is a Delaware school funding issue,” Griffin said during board discussion last week. “To make this a political issue whenever a district has to go out to do what is expected to be done for children, to me, is criminal.”
The district last won an operating referendum in 2016, by a narrow margin of 150 votes. That referendum — which came on the heels of another deficit year — brought in $16 million.
That money was expected to get the district through two years of not needing to raise taxes. It’s since been four years, and the referendum losses since then have stretched district finances thin.
“Now, here we are making decisions about the lives of 14,000 children because we are once again being forced to go and say, ‘Can we please get what we need just to manage what’s going on,'” Griffin said.
At several recent board meetings, board members have asked district administrators for their opinions on the best course of action. But repeatedly, Gregg has told the board that the administration “is not comfortable with making a recommendation.”
Come July 1, the district will lose several high-level administrators, after the board voted to not renew their contracts. Gregg has also announced his resignation from the district.
CHANGING LEADERSHIP: Christina School District asks state to help it through superintendent transition
“None of the people in the senior administration are going to be here to own that final decision,” Gregg told the board. “We can give you all the scenarios and all the numbers. We are not going to take a position.”
The board is also bracing for a possible decrease in state funding, as expenses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic rain the state budget. Already, Gov. John Carney has said the state faces a deficit next year. The state Department of Education has begun considering ways federal stimulus funds could help schools through any state budget cuts.
The thought of cutting programs has sent shock through the district community. At last week’s board meeting, parents and teachers urged the district not to make cuts to arts programs, after board members posed hypothetical budget solutions at the previous board meeting using the arts as an example.
Since 2016, enrollment has decreased from just over 15,500 students to 14,000, a 10 percent decrease. Board members worry their decisions in the face of a deficit could drive more students away.
“Those [cuts] are district killers,” board member Claire O’Neal said at the April 14 meeting. “You’re going to have families that can run the other way running the other way.”
Natalia Alamdari covers education for The News Journal. You can reach her at (302) 324-2312 or nalamdari@delawareonline.com.
"board" - Google News
May 05, 2020 at 04:09PM
https://ift.tt/3b6lvYk
Christina School Board to vote on staff cuts to avoid $10M deficit should referendum fail - The News Journal
"board" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KWL1EQ
https://ift.tt/2YrjQdq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Christina School Board to vote on staff cuts to avoid $10M deficit should referendum fail - The News Journal"
Post a Comment