More than 100 cuts proposed in NB schools

By Barbara Brown
About 100 teachers, school staff members and residents were at North Branch High School Monday night to listen to what others had to say about proposed adjustments to the school budget.
District administration suggested three levels of cuts that could save the district up to $2.4 million, but has the potential to make extra-curricular and fine arts activities suffer.
More than 100 cuts and adjustments were suggested for the 2003-2004 budget.
School superintendent Dr. Robert Stepaniak said Monday night that some of the toughest adjustments in his opinion are proposed for community liaison and human resources.
Stepaniak told the gathering that the district has come to the point of no return when it comes to slashing the budget.
He said the district has always been lean, consistently operating by spending less money than 93 percent of the stateís districts.
The North Branch district also receives from the state money in the bottom five percent.
ìThis knowledge makes the budget cutting process even more difficult because there was not a lot of fat to begin with,î Stepaniak said.
He said North Branchís budgets have been strong because of the lean budgeting, but also because the schools have been overcrowded.
The district gets money based on pupil population.
Stepaniak said a serious problem will arise, however, in the 2005 school year when North Branch adds the new elementary school building.
ìWeíre at the point where we cannot live off our growth or off our fund balance,î Stepaniak said Monday night.
As part of the adjustment package, the board also must decide if it wants to cut the fund balance down to 8 percent, 6.5 percent or 5 percent of the total budget. For years to district has had an 8 percent fund balance.
Stepaniak said the district probably will have to present a referendum question for an operating levy to taxpayers in November.
Chas Bettendorf, co-president of the districtís teacherís association said the teachers appreciated the tough decisions the board had to make. He said the association recommends saving as many programs as possibly and cutting the fund balance down to 5 percent to fund them.
ìWe commend the district on its frugality,î Bettendorf said. ìThe district has been setting aside money for a rainy day fund and now we have a typhoon.î
A fifth-grade teacher said she was concerned with what would happen to class sizes as a result of proposed cuts to programs and staff.
ìAdding a few more bodies to an already tight situation is only going to add to the numbers of students slipping through the cracks,î she said.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, most comments were geared toward saving the North Branch Middle Schoolís band program as it is.
The band has 240 students this year and the music department is staffed by two teachers. The budget adjustments suggest taking away one teacher and not funding private 20-minute lessons for students.
Several students and parents of band members spoke on behalf of the program.
Another parent of a 2-year-old who attends programs at Early Childhood Family Education said she was concerned because the proposed budget cuts would show their impact when her child enters kindergarten. She suggested the district keep tighter tabs on waste, including supplying bottled water for meetings and watching supplies closely.
The board is expected to discuss the proposed cuts at its Thursday meeting, 7 p.m. and at an April 22 work session. A decision is expected on the cuts by the first week in May.

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