“Everything is on the table” as the Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education and administration officials look for ways to overcome a budget shortfall of between $5 million and $6 million for the 2010-2011 school year.
The Board looked at a long list of potential cuts and budget savings during a difficult meeting Thursday night, May 20, at the Administration & Services Center. The meeting lasted more than three hours, but no decisions were finalized. The discussion will continue at the June 3 Board meeting.
The Board also scheduled a budget hearing for June 17, at which time the budget could be adopted.
“This is my fifth year as Superintendent and this year’s budget cuts are the most painful,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson. “We are talking about friends and colleagues. These are tough times we face with a unique set of circumstances, not of our making.”
The size of the budget shortfall will depend on how much or how little the state cuts the individual student allowance. The District is required to submit a balanced budget by June 30.
The Board looked at 59 possible budget reduction items, including contracting food, custodial and dean of students services.
A representative of Chartwells, the food service company that currently manages the breakfast and lunch program in the schools, said that by transferring the hiring and supervision of food service employees to Chartwells, the District could save about $350,000 annually.
The District administration also outlined a plan to contract custodial services by replacing retiring school custodians with contract employees at a savings of $209,000. The District would save an additional $791,000 by turning over custodial services to a private company without waiting for employees to retire.
Currently the District has a $6.9 million fund balance, which through careful financial management has helped the District avoid layoffs or major mid-year cuts as experienced by other school districts. While some fund balance could be used, the District will move cautiously with a future that appears to be grim.
Some items from last night’s discussion include:
· A potential need to close an elementary building in the following (2011-2012) school year, likely the Seaton campus, at a cost savings of $350,000 per year.
· Reduction of custodial staff by 1/3 and alternate day cleaning at a savings of $470,000.
· Create more efficient bus routes at an annual savings of $250,000 through reduced hours and benefits to transportation employees.
· Reduce the number of new bus purchases with a savings of $210,000.
· Contract dean of students services at a savings of $105,000.
· Eliminate all deans of students for a savings of $470,000.
· Eliminate only elementary deans of students to save $357,000.
· There were several staff reductions discussed including Media Center employees, a reduction in secretarial staff, central office administrative staff reductions, partial reductions in counseling staff, reductions in support staff. The complexities of those cuts are too difficult to recount here.
