School could cut $2.4 million

By Barbara Brown
North Branch schools could see up to $2.4 million in cuts for the coming years to avoid sending the school district into a drastic deficit.
In February, the school board asked staff of the district to come with recommendations for cuts to programs and personnel that would translate into a savings.
That request came after the board had received information about how Gov. Tim Pawlentyís proposed cuts would affect North Branch schools in 2003-04.
Finance director Randi Johnson told the board it could expect a $3.2 million shortfall in the general fund.
Part of that deficit could be taken from the districtís fund balance, comparable to equity on a home, but Johnson wanted the board to recognize that past boards had been conservative in their spending and had aimed for a fund balance that was 8 percent of the total general fund.
Johnson said the district could use fund balance if the board so directed, but she reminded them that the district can only tap into that resource one time.
The remainder of the savings would have to come from cuts.
While developing cuts, the administration of all school departments were asked to find ways to save money while preserving the integrity of the individual site budget process, maintaining a 3 percent fund balance and prioritizing cuts to benefit class sizes.
Three levels of cuts were developed and divided on a tier design.
The first tier of recommended reductions would address the first $1.6 million of anticipated shortfall. It would translate into a freeze on the per pupil money allocation in 2003-04 school year.
The second tier would address the first tier plus $400,000 resulting in a $2 million reduction of the anticipated shortfall by reducing the per pupil allocation to sites by $100.
The third tier would combine the first two tiers and add another $400,000 in reductions by reducing by $200 the per pupil allocation to sites.
The reductions would come in the form of program cuts and in some cases personnel decisions that either would not open hiring for positions or would cut positions altogether.
The board received a 27-page document that detailed where cuts were suggested by administration and how those cuts would impact the different sites down to class size.
The first tiers of cuts were not exclusive to the classroom buildings. The superintendentís office could see a $78,000 cut including on support staff member.
Technology could see a $67,000 cut for technology assistants.
Shifting special education funding to individual sites and moving the transition program into the high school from its Main Street location would save a total of about $157,000.
Cutting a literacy coordinator position and the budget for new textbooks could result in a $250,000 savings.
The Primary School reductions could come from cutting materials and supplies funds, teacher positions and playground and lunchroom monitors.
The Main Street School could see cuts teachers, cutting the full-time assistant principal to half-time, supply budget cuts.
The majority of suggested reductions would be in combining teacher responsibilities and cutting some teacher positions.
At the high school, teachers could be asked to take on more responsibilities and some positions could be cut, the summer term may be cut which also would cut summer transportation costs.
The second and third tiers of cuts took the previous tiers into consideration and added cuts like eliminating busing within one mile of the schools, cutting several clubs, coaching staff, more teacher staff, support staff, cutting Student Council and ski club at the middle school and chopping extracurriculars like drama club, fall cheerleading and staff to supervise the weight room at the high school.
The board will hold a public hearing on the proposals at a meeting April 7 in the high school auditorium at 7 p.m.

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