OV School Board agrees on tentative spending plan
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By Cristina Kumka Herald Staff - Published: January 1, 2009
BRANDON — Otter Valley Union High School board members have reached a consensus on a "Plan B" budget, following months of debate over how to cut nearly half a million dollars.
On Jan. 7, board members will meet to adopt a proposed $11 million spending plan for the school, reduced by an estimated $370,000 from the original proposal.
The majority of the cuts are from reductions in staffing, freezes or reductions in salary increases for teachers and coaches, and the gradual elimination of the school's French program.
The new proposal, slated for adoption by the board after minor revisions, will decrease the homestead tax rate by 1 cent, to $1.23 per $100 of assessed property value, according to estimates from the board Tuesday.
The budget reduction target is down from $500,000 the board originally proposed, which would have slashed technology education as well as French.
At the 11-member board's final budget work session Tuesday, Otter Valley Principal Dana Cole-Levesque explained why the original cuts were made and why the board, with the help of the administration and teachers' association, decided to change them.
According to Cole-Levesque, technology education met the fewest number of proficiencies or essential learning skills required under the school's corrective action plan issued by the state and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and French has the lowest student enrollment.
According to Superintendent William Mathis, the school's French program has an enrollment of 14 students, compared to a Spanish enrollment of 22.
"That's why it was a target," Mathis said Wednesday.
"You go with the lowest enrollment courses first … the cost effectiveness isn't there."
The board's original spending plan called for the elimination of or reduced workload for five teachers and major cuts in French and technology education courses.
But in response to outcry from teachers, parents and students, who didn't want to see programs axed, the board opted to devise an alternate proposal.
Under the new plan, a full-time food service position in the school cafeteria will be made part-time, and a health and foods teaching position in the consumer science program will be reduced to part-time, resulting in fewer classes.
A teacher in the youth career awareness program will work part-time out of the classroom with students for job placement, while the in-house portion of the program will be cut, and no new French classes will be offered to incoming seventh- and eighth-graders.
Students in French 2, 3 and 4 will be able to finish their courses but French 5 may no longer be an option for incoming seniors under the new plan, Mathis said.
The only French teacher will become part-time next year, and there may have to be some combination of French classes, he said.
Other personnel changes include a retiring English department teacher who won't be replaced and the possible elimination of a guidance counselor from the middle school.
Outside of personnel, the board agreed Tuesday to freeze co-curricular increases for athletic instructors, saving $3,500, reducing department head stipends to save $3,509 and reduce the summer-school and after-school program for a savings of $20,965.
With all reductions included, the board estimates it would save roughly $322,141 — $287,992 of which comes from personnel changes and program reductions.
The board is still mulling where to cut $50,000 more from the budget, the guidance counselor cut, the elimination of a paraeducator for at-risk students, and whether grant funding is available to sustain the summer program, all of which are in question, according to Mathis and members of the board.
School officials are grappling with where to cut in response to the community's feedback and in reaction to a growing problem. Total student enrollment figures from October show the number of students has declined at the middle/high school by 33 students since last year.
With more than 100 students graduating and a small seventh-grade class replacing them, the problem is compounded because as student enrollment decreases, spending on each student increases, according to Mathis.
Board members expressed their concern with adopting a budget that, if not decreased to level the tax rate, would get shot down.
"Our budget won't get voted in if our tax rate goes up," said Ellen Kurrelmeyer, the board's finance committee chairwoman.
Parents and students, however, pushed for cuts in administration more than anything else.
"None of the students want to see reductions anywhere but from what we could see in most cases, they could be made in staffing and administration," said Jonathan Kane, the school's senior class president.
"I heard from a lot of kids that we seem to have a lot of administrative staff, but we don't see what they do," he said.
Lyn Orth of Brandon also said she supports taking a look at administrative costs but said the bottom line was ultimately what voters could handle.
"People can't pay taxes with money they don't have no matter how much they support the school," Orth said.
"If they don't have the money, they can't pay the taxes but unless we have really good schools we are going to continue to see our young people not be competitive in the work force."
Contact Cristina Kumka at cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com.
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