Centre board accepts resignations, ponders cuts
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff reporter
A special meeting was held April 22 by Centre USD Board of Education to discuss the budget for the 2002-2003 school year.
Prior to the discussion, the board accepted resignations from Justin Redeker as high school science teacher/ head football coach and Lane R. Senne as high school math teacher/district bus driver.
"If anybody has a good guess what the legislature will do, it would be smart to discuss possible budget cuts," Superintendent Demitry Evancho said.
He noted that future decreased budget authority is certain due to declining enrollment, and any dollars saved now will help in the following year.
The following state funding scenarios were presented as possibilities for the coming school year, with the concurrent loss in budget authority:
No change in state aid - $22,059
+$10 per student - $16,752
+20 per student - $11.168
-$158 per student -$106,434
Looking at the bottom figure as the "worst-case scenario," the board agreed to look for an approximate $75,000 cut in expenditures, the remainder to be made up with an increase in local-option budget taxes and/or school fees.
Superintendent Demitry Evancho presented a list of items which have already been targeted. They include the following:
Eliminate noon kindergarten busing ($16,000), one teacher's voluntary reduction in hours ($13,300 to $17,700), monitor food service operations, reduce golf activities to one meet per week, general effort to economize by reducing orders and replacements, eliminate summer science camp ($1,200), and eliminate summer computer camp ($600).
Other savings tentatively planned would come from extending purchases of textbooks and supplies ($15,000), eliminating vocational tuition and transportation ($8,600), and seeking reduced assessments to TEEN and special ed ($15,000 to $20,000).
Evancho estimated total cost savings from the above measures at about $60,000.
After spending an hour in executive session with Evancho and Centre High School Principal Neal Weltha to discuss personnel, the board voted in open session to reduce third and sixth grade classrooms to one each due to student numbers. No personnel were targeted for elimination.
The board then targeted elimination of late route busing ($7,700), reduction in summer help ($4,680), and reduction of non-athletic and extended student accident insurance ($1,400) for an additional cost-saving of $13,780.
Evancho stressed that all items are targeted for elimination or reduction only if state funding is not sufficient. They can be re-instated if funding is available.
The board also received a report from the CHS roof committee, which examined the area under the roof. President Ronnie Carlson said the wood deck is in good shape, as well as the sheeting under the shingles, except for spots, which can be repaired.
The committee recommended that another layer of sheeting be applied over the first and a special roofing material be installed over it. The board accepted the report and authorized the superintendent to prepare a plan to repair and re-roof the building beginning the summer of 2003.
