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AUSD searching for a cure for their ailing budget
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
SAN DIEGO — Alpine Union School
District joins the rest of the county as well as the country as
they begin struggling with 2008-2009 budget woes. Declining
enrollment as well as rising costs of doing business is becoming
more and more apparent.
On Wednesday, January 7, the AUSD board of trustees
called their meeting to order to discuss the upcoming budget
challenge.
Superintendent Greg Ryan reported that there is a
possible need for reductions in the district.
The district has been in workshops to review the budget and to
consider the best way to handle the financial deficits that the
district is facing.
They have looked at the possibility of closing a school
site, but know that there are several ramifications to this
action that makes it an option that should be avoided. They have
compared similar enrollment years with teachers, secretaries,
and management costs and found that compared to 1994 when the
district had enrollment equal to current enrollment there are
now 26 more employees, one more school site, a Community Day
School program and the ESS program but the same number of
managers.
They have looked at condensing bus routes/school
boundaries to reduce bussing needs. There is a bus driver
retiring this year and this position will not be replaced, the
route will be combined with others.
These reductions are going to be difficult to make, as
5 percent of the cuts will need to come from personnel costs.
Ryan said that this is where the majority of the district’s
resources go.
Other considerations for possible areas where the
district may be able to cut spending included: the music
program, textbook purchases, and medical benefits. Medical
benefits present a huge cost to the district, and revision to
these may be necessary. Also on the list were the classified
employee hours.
Ryan said, “Principals understand our budget woes and
have started to be pretty tight with their spending.”
Each board member stressed their concern over cutting
costs in the district. Not one board member agreed that it was a
good idea to cut personnel.
Price indicated his concern about cutting personnel
costs. He was opposed to eliminating positions, saying, “There’s
a whole lot of domino effects when we let people go.” He said,
“We’re not letting these people go to another job—there are no
jobs out there.” He said too, that kids were going to be
affected by this.
Discussions and decisions have not been made as of yet
and the district is struggling with finding the correct course,
as a decision needs to be made before March 15th. But for now,
the district is considering every way possible to retain
employees as well as employee hours.
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