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High School Jobs on the Chopping Block
Cuts are a lot harder to make when you know the faces behind the titles. That difficulty is increased when the people behind the jobs are so good at what they do.
Among many on the chopping block in the Springfield School District are a volunteer coordinator who's gotten an army of professional men to read to students and a college coach who helped one of his students at Lanphier High School earn more than $17,000 in college scholarships.
Despite their accomplishments, District 186 School Board has an $11 million budget gap that has to be filled somehow. Superintendent Dr. Walter Milton supplied the board with a list of recommended cuts, but the decision rests with them.
Throughout Monday night's school board meeting, volunteers from programs like Real Men Read spoke on behalf of its volunteer coordinator. The job she does, the men said, is invaluable.
College coaches who help prepare students for college are also on the list of potential cuts. There is one of them at each of the district's three high schools.
"The post-secondary program at Lanphier High School cost the district $22,000," post-secondary coach Steve Rambach said. "For every dollar that the district has invested, students gain $96 in additional financial aid scholarships."
The board is also looking at a high school-level schedule change as a way to cut costs. An advisory board created to help the board through the process favors the trimester schedule. There were lots of suggestions at Monday night's meeting to plan for a year before making any schedule transitions.
Previously, Milton's suggested cut list included the Capital Area Career Center. At the meeting, Milton took it off of that list.
The school board's budget committee is meeting on Monday. They've agreed to use it as an opportunity to discuss revenue options. Milton and the board are looking at new ways to bring additional revenue to the board.
