USD 504‑Oswego Board of Education members met in a special meeting last Wednesday with one purpose in mind: to trim next year’s budget. Faced with reductions in state aid and declining enrollment, Supt. Terry Karlin told the board that from the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year to the start of the 2010-2011 school year, USD 504 General Fund and Supplemental General Fund budget authority will decrease a projected $623,924 as a result of base state aid reductions and declining enrollment. This represents a 12 percent reduction in the district’s primary operating funds.
Karlin said there had been four positions eliminated at this time last year which included a media specialist, a music teacher, one elementary teacher and an after‑hours custodian.
Karlin advised the board that an additional $206,629 needed to be cut from the district’s General Fund and Supplemental Fund operating budgets for the coming year.
At the end of the meeting, the board had sliced out approximately $160,000 with the remainder of the cost cutting to come from discretionary spending such as textbook replacement, materials and other supplies. The board vowed to carefully watch expenditures over the coming months ‑‑‑ everything from delaying the purchase of new text books to monitoring utility costs to eliminating certain positions in the district.
Other cuts eyed by the board include:
• Reducing days of attendance from the master calendar by a total of 13 days with classes starting Sept. 1, 2010, and adding time to each school day which would save approximately $21,000.
• Eliminating the elementary counselor position whereby one counseling position would cover K-12.
• Decreasing the music position to half-time whereby only vocal music will be taught K-12.
• Eliminating the boys and girls golf program.
• Eliminating in‑town busing which will save approximately $17,000.
The board also decided to employ Terry Karlin to serve as superintendent of schools starting Sept. 1, 2010. Cynthia Sanders will serve as interim superintendent from July 1 to Aug. 31 as previously determined by the board. Karlin will retire as planned, but return at a salary of $30,000 plus benefits to be negotiated which will result in significant savings to the school district thereby permitting the board to maintain at least one additional teaching position that would otherwise need to be eliminated.
With these reductions, plus careful managing of expenditures in the coming years, the district hopes to reach its goal of reducing budget authority by an amount sufficient to successfully operate its high quality educational programs and services.