Pretend you are back at school and your teacher assigns you the following math problem:
“School District 20 is facing another huge fiscal crisis due to government down-loading of costs and needs to cut its budget by $1,750,000 and has decided that it wants to close some schools before sharing all of the potential options it may be considering for addressing its budget crisis.
Your assignment is to analyse the following potential options, determine your priorities and to send a letter to the School Board with your advice on how to reduce the District’s Annual Budget by $1,750,000 over the next three years.
You have until February 4, 2013 to complete this assignment.”
A. How to Balance the Budget by Eliminating Programs & Services to Students
• Eliminate Elementary School Teacher-Librarian Program-$184,500
• Eliminate Trades/Apprenticeship Program-$50,000
• Eliminate District Learning Coordination Program-$92,254
• Eliminate District Integration Support Coordination Program for Special Needs Students-$92,254
• Eliminate More Elective Programs at Secondary Schools by Increasing Class Sizes-$119,925/$249,075
Total potential annual savings -$538,933/$668,083
B. How to Balance the Budget by Closing/Reconfiguring Rossland Schools
• Close Rossland Secondary School and move Grade 8-12 students to JL Crowe and make MacLean Elementary School K-7–$455,000
• Close MacLean Elementary School and make Rossland Secondary School K-9 and move Grade 10-12 students to JL Crowe-$285,000
• Close Maclean Elementary School and make Rossland Secondary School K-12-$145,000
Total potential annual savings -$145,000/$455,000
C. How to balance the Budget by Closing/Reconfiguring Castlegar Schools
• Close Castlegar Primary School and move students to Twin Rivers Elementary School-$170,000
• Combine Castlegar Primary School and Twin Rivers Elementary School as one campus-$74,000
Total potential annual savings -$74,000/$170,000
D. How to Balance the Budget by Eliminating Library Assistants and Reducing Custodial/Clerical Staff
• Eliminate Library Assistants and custodial services in all schools-$182,105
E. How to balance the Budget by Down-loading Bussing Costs to Parents
Charge each family $120/$240 per student/year for bussing -$180,000/$360,000
Eliminate all bussing for all students or just for Grade 8-12 students and provide families
with $35/month per student if they are outside walk limits to get their children to school – $533,000-$218,000. Total potential annual savings: $180,000-$533,000.
-Andrew(Andy) M. Davidoff, President
Kootenay Columbia Teachers Union
