Thompson School Board members got a first look Wednesday night at three draft budgets for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
With negotiations continuing among employee groups and the teachers’ union, the Thompson Education Association, no part of the proposed budgets is final until June. Each budget, however, slashes more than $6 million from the current budget in order to backfill an estimated $6 million district deficit.
One budget reflects approximately $1.64 million in reductions, and two pitches drain about $1.69 million from the district’s capital reserves — money saved annually to funnel into the general fund. All three nix $275,000 set aside for bus replacement; $400,000 for replacement of technology; and $300,000 designated for facilities maintenance, including roof replacement.
District Chief Financial Officer Steve Towne warned school board members that the proposed cuts to capital reserves are risky. If Board of Education members approve capital reserve reductions this year, it is likely that they will continue to do so in years to come.
The proposed budgets are “really bleeding (capital reserves) as far we can go, which is a dangerous place to be,” he said. “We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. And Peter’s going to need to be paid at some point.”
The three budgets also advocate for $500,000 in cuts to the district’s transportation department. The drafts don’t recommend introduction of a transportation fee. Each recommends adoption of different amounts of student instructional fees — the district eliminated these fees in 2009.
Proposed staff reductions mimicked somewhat official cuts the district announced Wednesday. All three budgets recommended cutting 24 full-time equivalent licensed positions, the same amount the district will eliminate.
While negotiations are under way, meaning that discussions about contract reductions and furloughs are not yet complete, the three proposed budgets propose cutting contract days for licensed staff by two days, from 185 to 183.
Two budgets propose cutting 19.31 positions from the classified employee group and 3.43 jobs from the administrative, professional and technical (APT) group. The district announced that it will cut 19 and 4.3 jobs from classified and APT groups, respectively.
The third budget proposal (which also advocated for lesser cuts to capital reserves), recommends 14.68 and 2.61 positions be cut from classified and APT groups, respectively.
Two budgets ask for an allocation of $1.2 million in reserves (in addition to $3.5 million approved for use by the Board of Education earlier this year) for use in backfilling the deficit. The third recommends use of an additional $1 million.
Community members in April will have the opportunity to review the three proposed budgets at four forums scheduled tentatively on April 10, 12, 17 and 19. Times are to be determined.
Reviewing proposed staffing cuts, Board of Education member Bob Kerrigan asked whether the district will eliminate administrative positions.
Superintendent Ron Cabrera noted that the district will cut 4.3 APT positions, including 2.5 jobs in Learning Services, a position in School Support and another in Business Services. But Kerrigan pushed further, wanting to know the status of cuts to “senior staff” working in the District Administration Building.
“ATP is a little different than the senior staff … that’s how I see it,” he said. “The constituents see it differently.”
Cabrera said the possibility of these cuts exist, “but it’s not for sure at this time,” with negotiations ongoing.
School board members will see a more-final version of the fiscal year 2012-13 budget in mid-May and give a final stamp of approval in mid-June.
School board members also heard Wednesday night a pitch from district staff members to spend more than $150,000 on new science equipment using previously budgeted dollars. Because Wednesday’s meeting was a work session, board members didn’t vote to approve purchase.
They will do so at its regular meeting later this month.
Madeline Novey can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 516, or mnovey@reporter-herald.com.
