Word of teacher layoffs, classes being cancelled, and buildings being closed are among the rumors going around surrounding the school district’s budget cuts as a result of Governor Snyder’s proposed cuts for K-12 education.

                 The district publicly announced of these possible cuts in April. Public meetings were held in April and May to inform the community of these cuts at each of the schools in the district, including the Educational Services Center and Operations Facility. At the meeting, a staff member from the district came, along with a board of education member.

As part of the budget presentation, parents were informed about the history of how schools were funded, what the district has done in the last ten years, how the district is doing financially with the cuts, the actual plans of what is happening in Lansing, and the reductions for the 2011-2012 school year.

At the elementary school level, a total of $2 million must be reduced in the district’s budget. To alleviate the challenges caused by the reduced budget, the district is proposing to possibly reduce over 28 recess paraeducator positions, seven media specialist and computer resource teacher positions, reduction of secretarial hours, and a total of ten teacher positions district-wide. The teacher reductions are from six positions being eliminated as a result of decreasing enrollment and by the one-student increase in class sizes.

For the middle schools, a total of $910,000 is being cut from their budget. Like the elementary schools, teachers will be reduced. Six teacher positions will be removed because of class size increases. Also, the math intervention program will be eliminated. Included in the cuts are eliminating the stipends of building athletic coordinators and reducing the stipends of department chairs and teachers that oversee extra-curricular programs. Secretarial hour reductions along with adjustments to the music budget are also being proposed for next year.

The three high schools will be seeing the brunt of the cuts for the next school year with a total of $2 million of reductions. Slated to be reduced at the high school level are parking lot paraeducator hours, hall monitor hours, student council advisors, secretarial hours, music budget and extra-curricular and department chair stipends.

Eliminations at the high school level include two school store paraeducators. 0 and 7^th hour classes at Northern High School are expected to be cut, while at Western High School, the automotive technology program will be eliminated. Three assistant principal positions will also be eliminated from the high schools.

When it comes to teacher layoffs for high school staff, a total of nine positions will be cut due to the WLTV program restrictions, elimination of the LATE program and the reduction of teachers from the Special Education transition program. Like in the elementary and middle schools, teacher reductions from declining enrollment and increasing class sizes by one person play major roles as well.

Not only are positions being cut from the schools, but at the central office as well. Included with the cuts here are the eliminations of one assistant superintendent, the finance manager and purchasing position and the instructional technology coordinator. A reduction of the informational systems technician, personnel and instructional program secretaries, reductions of special education staff, and the restructuring of the ELL department and the warehouse staff are also part of the big stash of personnel loss. All of these cuts should save the district $0.9 million in the budget.

Cuts district-wide will surely affect everyone in the district some way or another. The operations department will be seeing a wide array of cuts with the reduction of the transportation dispatcher position, increasing bus eligibility distance, eliminating some high school shuttles (to and from OTC, Community High), reducing bussing for athletic events, and reducing two maintenance positions. This comes as hard news for this department after the privatization of the custodial department last year and the concessions made by the bus drivers to save their jobs from being lost to privatization as well.

Other positions being eliminated across the district are the vocational education coordinator position, community education secretary, maintenance/facility secretary and two positions of the curricular developers. Many paraprofessional hours are also expected to be greatly reduced. Reducing the supplies and utilities budget is on the chopping block as well. Budget reductions from the capital outlay budget and discontinuing the North Central Accreditation (NCA) in the elementary and middle school levels are also being proposed. Board of education stipends are being eliminated in the next school year along with reducing textbook purchases.

Pay-to-play was increased at both middle and high school levels last fall but is not expected to be increased this year. The district is considering changing the format of tennis, golf and cheerleading/pom teams to club status which makes them self-funding. A reduction in the band and orchestra uniform budget is not being spared.

The district is looking to increase revenue by instituting an employee pay-to-plug program for all appliances (refrigerator, microwaves, coffee makers, etc.) that is currently being looked at.

District officials are urging the public to call or write their legislators to demand relief to school funding and restoring 20j funding for K-12 education. Sample letters, copy of the budget presentation, and more information related to that can be found on the district’s website, www.wlcsd.org, where there is link saying “2011-2012 Budget Information”. The district would also take suggestions from the community. Email input and further questions to budget@wlcsd.org.

“Although the district may look different, we will be creative in providing a solid education thanks to our dedicated teachers, administrators, support staff, board of education, and of course our parents and community. We will continue in our mission, but we will do it collaboratively,” was the message given to community members by Superintendent, Ken Gutman