D-11 board to vote on $7 million in cuts in first round of reductions

A recommendation to cut nearly $7 million from the Colorado Springs School District 11 budget will go to the board for a vote Wednesday.

The board also will tackle a second list of 64 items — $24 million in programs— to identify another $9 million in potential cuts.

The district expects to slash up to $16 million from its $225 million operating budget because of state budget cuts.

The first round of cuts — the ones that will be voted on tonight — came from recommendations from department heads, who were asked to identify 5, 10 and 15 percent cuts for their programs. The board discussed the suggested cuts last month, and administrators met with various groups to refine cuts.

Among the biggest cuts being recommended:

• Eliminate nine assistant principals and six school clerical positions to cut $864,558 from the Office of the Principal budget that serves all schools.

• Eliminate summer school programs for a savings of $834,706.

• Cut $500,000 from the instruction supplies budget.

• Cut $160,000 from transportation by eliminating busing for Galileo School of Math and Science students who live outside school boundaries and eliminating summer transportation.

The cuts hit every department in ways big and small — reducing maintenance, supplies, cutting hours and positions.

If the board approves the cuts as proposed, it would eliminate the equivalent of 52.4 full-time positions. That includes 11 administrative positions, nine of them assistant principal jobs.

Of the positions recommended for elimination, 13.1 are vacant and another 14.1 are held by someone who is retiring at the end of the year. But, as of now, 21.7 of those positions are held by someone who would lose their job unless he or she found another position within the district.

District officials have said they hope to handle the personnel cuts through attrition and moving employees into vacant spots.

After it votes on the first set of proposed cuts, the board will discuss a “global budget cut menu” that includes such options as district-wide furlough days, cuts in busing, slight increases in class size and cutting library technicians.

It also proposes a few ways to bring in more money, including a 10 percent increase in athletic fees that would add $22,500 to revenues or reestablishing a $50 fee for high school parking lots would add $40,000 to the budget.

The board is expected to vote on the second round of cuts later in March.

The budget won’t be finalized until June, after the Colorado legislature gives final approval to the school finance act.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the district administration building, 1115 N. El Paso St. It also will be televised on cable Channel 16.