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Bylaws, Policies & Administrative Guidelines |
2012 General Assembly & Governorship 2012 General Assembly & Governorship (Pg. 1 - Index) (Pg. 2 - Funding Effects) 2011 General Assembly & Governorship (Pg. 1 - Index) (Pg. 2) (Pg. 3 - Bills) (Pg. 4 - Commentary...) (Pg. 5 - Vic's Updates) (Pg. 6 - Effects) (Pg. 7 - Voting) 2010 General Assembly & Governorship (Pg. 1 - Index) (Pg.
2) (Pg. 3) (Pg.
4) (Pg. 5 - School
Impact) (Pg. 5.1 - School Impact)
(Pg. 6 - Local
Gov't Impact) 2009 General Assembly & Governorship (Pg. 1) (Pg. 2) 2008 General Assembly & Governorship (Pg. 1) (Pg. 2) Introduction With the advent of tax caps in 2009 plus the K-12 education cuts of 2010 and 2011 plus the state school distribution formula for schools for 2012 and 2013 these are difficult times for traditional public education as the following will illustrate. Reduced funding effects from 2011 and 2010 are also informative. (12/3/11)Retiring Eastbrook Community Schools Head Says Cuts "Likely" (IED, 12/3/11) - An impending budget crunch makes personnel cuts “likely” at Eastbrook Community Schools, according to Superintendent Jerry Harshman. Harshman told the school board on Oct. 24 that the district will likely receive $350,000 less than budgeted for its general fund from the Indiana Department of Education in 2012. A decline in enrollment of 52 students is costing the district $29,000 per month. Since then, the school board has discussed the issue in its executive sessions and reductions in personnel look “more than likely,” Harshman said. “My guess is there will be some reduction in force,” he said. “I don’t see any way around that.” Harshman said his upcoming retirement on June 30 is another issue the school board needs to address soon. He said that if the board decides to seek outside candidates for the next superintendent that pay can be a “limiting factor,” and one that makes budget-related reductions difficult. “If there’s an outside search then there’s a discussion of what they’re willing to offer a person in terms of pay or benefits,” he said. Under recent changes in state law, superintendents no longer have to have a special license, so long as their appointment is approved by the state. topEastbrook Community Schools In Grant County To (Cut) Staff (IED, 12/22/11) Eastbrook Community Schools will eliminate the positions of three teachers and seven instructional aides from its elementary schools, as well as part-time and office staff from Eastbrook Junior High School, in cost-cutting measures next fall. Superintendent Jerry Harshman told the School Board Monday the cuts were necessary to fight falling enrollment in the district. "Eastbrook Schools continues to face declining enrollment. As a result general fund revenues continue to decline," he said... ...Harshman presented the cuts as part of $514,881 in cost reductions in response to an estimated $351,658 deficit in enrollment-based funding for the district's 2012 budget. Other measures include eliminating safeguards that would protect the district's rainy day fund in emergencies; clearing additional duties for teachers, 12 of whom will no longer be department chairs, and coaches, three of whom will no longer be paid to fulfill athletic director duties; and making nine paid assistant coaches into volunteer-only positions... (more) top South Putnam
Superintendent: "We've Got A Huge Deficit, We're Spending Way Too
Much" (retitled, Greencastle Banner-Graphic, 12/21/11) In what seemed like an inevitable situation, the South Putnam School Board voted Monday to close Reelsville Elementary... ..."We've had numerous suggestions about other things we can do," Superintendent Bruce Bernhardt said during the school board meeting Monday night. "Unfortunately, they don't add up to the amount of savings needed." The school's closing comes after numerous budget cuts and a decrease in enrollment. As previously stated by Bernhardt, the school corporation is currently spending nearly $500,000 more than it is bringing in. "We've got a huge deficit, we're spending way too much," explained Bernhardt. "We have to do something drastic." Financial issues arose after the state of Indiana cut the small schools grant, which provided nearly $300,000. The school corporation also lost 66 students this year, 38 more than the 28-student loss last year. The increase in the lost students alone created a $400,000 deficit... ...The total costs of savings from eliminating six teachers, four secretaries, custodians and utilities will be $547,256. "This savings is not immediate," explained Bernhardt. "We won't see the savings begin until midway through 2012."... ...Cash balances were provided for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. On Dec. 31, 2009 the cash balance for the school corporation was $968,000. That number went down to $885,000 just one year later and it is projected the cash balance will be only $350,000 at the end of the year. "Our cash balances are diminishing quickly," Bernhardt explained. "We have to make large savings in order to keep us from spending all of our cash and being broke in the future."... ...Many voiced concerns that within five years the corporation would be in a similar situation. "We're graduating more students than we are bringing in," said Bernhardt. "If there are no declining enrollments due to students moving away, we do know that within the next five or six years we'll continue to lose less students, but we'll continue to lose students because we are graduating more than are coming in." The board knows there is a good possibility fewer students will be coming in. If that were to continue the board would make plans to further cut their budgets to live within its means... |
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