Budget Cuts 2011-2012

CALENDAR FOR 2011-2012 BUDGET REDUCTIONS

Jan. 10: Board reviews and gives feedback on Administrative Proposal #1 for 2011-2012 Budget Reductions (presented by Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates and Superintendent Elect Michael Bregy).

Jan. 19: Board Finance Committee reviews Administrative Proposal #1, gives feedback.

Jan. 25: Board begins accepting input from the public about budget reduction proposals. Please scroll down for more information about public input and attending Board meetings.

Jan. 25: Community Finance Committee (CFC) discusses Administrative Proposal #1 and gives feedback.

Feb. 14: Board reviews and gives feedback on Administrative Proposal #2 for 2011-2012 Budget Reductions, which is an updated proposal based on all feedback received to date and any new information. (CLICK HERE FOR A FEB. 24, 2011, UPDATE ON THE PROPOSED CUT TO PRESCHOOL FOR ALL.)

Feb. 16: Board Work session (6 p.m. at Westfield). While the public is welcome to attend and observe, this work session's primary purpose is for Board members to discuss the proposed cuts in detail with each other and with D300 Administration.

Feb. 22: Community Finance Committee reviews and gives feedback on Administrative Proposal #2

Feb. 28: Board votes on Administrative Proposal #2

April / May / June 2011: The administrative team will research and present a variety of options to the Board for potentially reorganizing the middle and high schools, in case the 2011-2012 budget cannot be balanced in a timely manner through other means. This series of presentations will be open to the public. Please visit the D300 Public Meetings Calendar for information about upcoming meetings. Agendas are posted at least 48 hours in advance of each public meeting.

AUDIO RECORDINGS OF BOARD MEETINGS

FOR ALL BOARD MEETING RECORDINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE BOARD MEETING AGENDAS & RECORDINGS WEBPAGE.

REGARDING THE FEBRUARY 28 RECORDING OF THE BOARD MEETING: Here is a news release that summarizes the votes on budget reductions.

REGARDING THE FEBRUARY 14 RECORDING OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING: Board/Administration discussion of proposed budget reductions begins at approximately 43:22.

REGARDING THE FEBRUARY 14 RECORDING OF THE SPECIAL BOARD MEETING WITH STATE LEGISLATORS: D300 leaders held their annual State Legislative Update on Monday morning, February 14. 2011. This was a public meeting. Three of D300's seven legislators attended: Sen. Pam Althoff, Sen. Michael Noland, and Rep. Keith Farnham. The following legislators were absent: Sen. Chris Lauzen, Rep. Mike Tryon, Rep. Tim Schmitz, and Rep. Fred Crespo. D300 Board members, senior staff, and community members dialogued with the state legislators for 1.5 hours about a range of topics including education and pension reform, funding of categorical expenses (special education, transportation, etc.), Capital Development Board construction funding, the SAM program (School Administration Manager), the AVID program, the Healthier US School Challenge, and much more.

Contact information and websites for state legislators representing District 300.
Boundary maps for state legislators within District 300.

REGARDING THE JANUARY 10 BOARD MEETING RECORDING: Presentation of Administrative Proposal #1 for 2011-2012 Budget Cuts begins at 49:54 on the Jan. 10 recording and goes through approximately 1:06:27. This presentation is made by Superintendent Elect Michael Bregy and Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates.

REGARDING THE JANUARY 24 BOARD MEETING RECORDING: General discussion of budget challenges begins at 20:16 on the Jan. 24 recording and goes through 36:38. Then from 36:43 through 45:00 there is discussion of Tax Anticipation Warrants (TAW's).

PUBLIC INPUT

Emails to Board@d300.org are automatically sent to all 7 Board members, the Superintendent, and the Superintendent Elect.

To address the Board at a public meeting: Arrive a few minutes before the meeting start time. Sign your name and address at the podium at the front of the room. During the Public Participation portin of the meeting, the Board President will call you to the podium one by one. Start by stating your name, your street address, and whether you work for D300 or one of the district's contractors (i.e. Durham, ARAMARK, etc.). Your comments will be limited to 5 minutes or less, as directed by the Board President at the start of the meeting. Do not mention any specific names. Comments from minors generally are not permitted unless the minor's parent/legal guardian is present and gives permission. Please understand that the Board members will not dialogue with you after your comments, but they will listen and seriously consider your input.

GENERAL INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND

CLICK HERE to visit the Budget Reductions webpage for 2010-2011. This process has already been completed.

Whatever cuts are eventually decided upon will be painful for all involved, and the Board has extremely difficult decisions to make. Community and staff members are encouraged to be involved in the conversation. The Board must make its decisions in time to meet the legal requirements for the potential release of staff.

For the 2011-2012 Budget, D300 School Board members voted on Dec. 13, 2010, to set $8.3 million as the amount of cuts they will target from the 2011-2012 budget, due largely to the ongoing state fiscal crisis as well as the district's inability to reach its goal of cutting $15 million from the current school year's budget (2010-2011). The proposed budget reductions represent a "best case" scenario, meaning they assume that the state will pay D300 what the district is owed this school year and next; in other words, the deficit could realistically turn out to be much worse. The cuts are necessary for the 2011-2012 school year for three primary reasons: (1) the state is not fully funding the services that it has mandated schools must provide, (2) the economic recession, and (3) we did not cut our budget this year as much as we intended. Despite many employees taking a wage decrease this year, the district is still spending more on salaries, benefits, and other expenses than is being taken in through revenue such as fees, grants, and state/federal funding.

PLEASE READ THE NEWS RELEASES LISTED BELOW FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE MARCH 22-23 SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS, INCLUDING THE HANDOUTS AND INFORMATION THAT WERE PROVIDED AT THESE MEETINGS.

As directed by the Board, the administrative team will research and present a variety of options to the Board for potentially reorganizing the middle and high schools this fall, in case the 2011-2012 budget cannot be balanced in a timely manner through other means. As noted above, this series of presentations will be open to the public. Information about the options will be posted to this webpage after being presented to the Board for consideration.