The Bethel School Board released a list of cuts in personal and programs Tuesday morning which will enable the district to help offset a year-end budget deficit of $100,000.  In addition the board decided to place a ¾ percent earned-income tax on the May ballot. Even if that levy passes, the cuts will remain in place.

“Even if the issue passes, it will take more than a year for the funds to be fully collected,” said Bethel Superintendent Robert Hoover. “With our funds running out by next year, we must make some cuts to keep the district financially stable.
“This district has done an excellent job with their finances and has been very conservative with their spending,” he said. “It has been ten years since we’ve had a new levy on the ballot, however, the state has continued to decrease the amount of money they provide us with. We are expecting a decrease of two percent or more next year. Unlike the government, the school district must have a balanced budget at the end of each year.”
“These cuts are very difficult for us,” said Board President Deborah Watson. These cuts will affect a lot of families and we don’t take any of these cuts lightly.”
“This is the most unusual and difficult time we have ever witnessed,” said longtime board member Don Whitaker. “We thought long and hard about what would be the best way to handle the deficit and felt the fairest type of tax would be an income tax rather than a real estate tax.”
If the May levy fails the board will be forced to make even more drastic cuts which will be announced at their April meeting.
“That list will have to be extensive and will greatly affect programs and staff; worst of all, however, is that these cuts will deeply hurt the education of our students,” Hoover said. “This information is fact; it’s not a threat or anything other than information on what will happen so that everyone knows ahead of time in case the earned-income tax does not pass.”

The following is the list of cuts that will be made by the district.

The Board of Education will be acting upon two lists of cuts at the April Board of Education meeting.  The first list will be in place for the 2010-2011 school year regardless of passage of the proposed tax issue in May.  This is due to the fact that even if the tax issue passes in May it will not start to be collected until January 2011 and we will need for these cuts to be in place to keep our budget balanced until we receive new funds.

The second list will be necessary if the tax issue does not pass.

List 1 – in effect next school year
1. Cut one JH/HS bus route
2. Reduce the district newsletter from 15 issues to 12 issues
3. Reduce building budgets by 30%
4. Reduce ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor to 2 days per week
5. Reduce funds for professional development substitutes
6. Cut all extended days for Media Center teacher and aides
7. Reduce Guidance Counselor extended days
8. Cut all summer extra help
9. Reduce the following contracts by 5 days:
• Superintendent
• JH/HS Principal
• Elementary Principal
• Asst. JH/HS Principal
• Guidance Counselor
• Maintenance
• Custodian
• JH Secretary
• Elementary Secretary
• Guidance Aide
• Asst. Treasurer
• Treasurer’s Secretary
• Bus Mechanic
10. Reduce the following contracts by 20 days (offices would be closed the month of July):
• Superintendent’s Secretary
• HS Secretary
• District Secretary
11. Charge a transportation fee for extra-curricular athletics, band and choir

List 1 Savings would be approximately $114,000.

List 2 – In effect next school year if the tax issue fails in May
1. Initiate a pay to participate for extra-curricular athletics, band and choir
2. Eliminate the School Resource Officer program (pending release from agreement)
3. Cut an elementary aide
4. Cut the JH/HS guidance aide
5. Cut the JH/HS Health/PE teacher
6. Cut the Media Center teacher
7. Reduce the custodian to half time
8. Replace the Asst. JH/HS Principal with a Dean of Students/Athletic Director
9. Reduce the JH Secretary’s contract by 26 days (no extended days)
10. Reduce the Superintendent’s Secretary to 4 days a week

List 2 Savings would be approximately $382, 000.

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