At its regular meeting Monday night, the USD 470 Board of Education voted to shorten the After School Program and eliminate the afternoon recreation component of the Summer School Program. The cuts are part of an effort to address a state funding shortfall.
The reductions will go into effect this school year. The After School Program will end 12 days earlier this spring, saving the district approximately $50,000. By eliminating the afternoon component during the summer, the district will save approximately $46,000.
The need for these cuts comes after the state announced a $33 reduction in base state aid per pupil, or $129,927, to the current 2008-2009 fiscal year. In addition, reductions totaling $25,841 were made to the special education fund. The total amount lost for 2008-2009 is $154,868.
In addition to the cut-backs in these programs and in addition to what the district does on a regular basis to keep costs low, the district has initiated several steps to meet the budget shortfall with the goal of not compromising student achievement.
Those steps include drawing from over-projected funds for fuel and utility costs, suspending professional development opportunities that have not already been approved, using a portion of the district’s contingency fund, and delaying some purchasing.
