School slashes budget

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

April 2, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

The Bemidji School Board finalized budget cuts Tuesday, paring $800,000 from the 1997-98 district budget in an effort to stem deficit spending that would have reduced the general fund balance to about $354,000.

Here is a look at what will be cut from the budgets of elementary schools, the Middle school, the High School and districtwide services:

Elementary schools

Four classroom sections will be cut from the elementary school budgets, including a kindergarten, first-, second- and fifth-grade sections. The combined cut salaries will save more than $134,000. One media staff assistant will be cut for a savings of more than $35,000, and part of a physical education position will be cut, saving some $7,700. Finally, the supply budget will be cut $20,900. The total cut from this area is $198,072.

Ironically, even with the decrease in class sections, Morud said average class sizes in the first- through fifth-grades will not change "dramatically" because thee will be fewer students in those grades next year.

Bemidji Middle School

More than $28,000 will be cut by not paying Middle School staff extra money for teaching individual classes offered to St. Phillip's School students. The students will be mixed in regular classes, but will not have individual classes. A secretary position that was never filled during this school during this school year will be cut for a savings of $22,000.

One pool assistant and one media assistant will be cut for a combined total of about $35,000. An industrial technology assistant position will be cut by about $8,800, and about $6,000 in summer counseling will be cut.

Extracurricular staff will be cut about $15,700; supplies will be decreased at 20 percent resulting in a cut of more than $23,800; and staff development funds will be cut more than $11,300.

Finally, there will be a delayed staff reduction because a teacher is one year from retiring, and that $29,600 will be realized after next year.

"The person is one year away from retiring," Morud said, "and after approximately 30 years or something like that ... I don't think it's fair to shake someone up one year before retirement."

The total cut from the Middle School budget was $181,411, meaning there is more than $50,000 in cuts needed to be made. Morud said all hiring will be frozen until the target number is realized.

Bemidji High School

Morud said even though there was not necessarily a decreased need for some of the programs to be cut, the High School just had to "tighten up."

More than $62,000 will be saved by cutting 1.5 positions in the World Language Department. An in-school suspension assistant will be cut for a savings of about $19,700.

An industrial technology position, a Music Department position and part of a health education position will be cut for a combined total of about $97,400.

And the delayed reduction of a person retiring at the Middle School will also affect the High School because the person works half-time at each school.

Finally, supply budget reductions and reductions in music and technology enhancements will total $30,000.

The total amount cut was $244,895, but any excess of the High School's targeted $225,000 in cuts will be used to add back class sections for the 1997-98 school year as necessary, according to information from Morud.

"Part of my concern is that we balance all of these cuts between all of our kids," Morud said of cuts in all three school areas, "and I hope we're doing that."

Districtwide services

The total cut from districtwide services exceeds $223,000, which is about $70,000 more than the targeted cut, Morud said.

"This exceeds the (targeted cut), but we feel it is important to exceed $800,000," Morud said, "because we're really looking at $1.6 million."

A district office secretary position will be cut to half-time for a savings of $10,700, and reductions in the number of custodial hours will save more than $32,000. Reductions in building, groundskeeping and print shop duties will save a combined $24,000.

The combination of duties among staff at the district warehouse and office will eliminate two staff positions and save about $65,000. Five special assistants will be terminated, saving $42,000; staff development funds will be decreased $20,000; and reductions in administrative travel, a new teacher workshop, an Alternative Learning Center assistant and work experience days will total more than $16,000.

Morud said teacher and other staff reductions will take effect immediately following the school year, and the supply and miscellaneous cuts will be factored in the budget work later this year.