D-11 board slogs through budget cuts, delays most trims

In a meeting that lasted more than six hours, the Colorado Springs School District 11 board agreed Wednesday to 50 of 139 recommended cuts and booted much of the night's agenda — and some of the biggest cuts — to next week's meeting.

The board spent much of the evening haggling over process and seeking details of district programs beyond the portions recommended for cuts.

Elementary and middle school summer programs got at least a temporary reprieve when the board unanimously voted to take it out of the first section of 54 recommended cuts. The two line items for summer programs totalled more than $900,000 of the nearly $7 million in recommended cuts.

Although there's some debate over whether summer school boosts student achievement, board member Charlie Bobbitt said he believes it at least keeps some kids from getting further behind. And if it's not boosting achievement, maybe the district needs summer programs that are more engaging for students, he said.

Bobbitt and some other board members homed in on another line item that they said should be considered for larger cuts: the $3.5 million projected instructional supplies carryover budget. That's a pot that serves all schools and often is used for bigger-ticket items that can't be funded in a single year.

Board member Bob Null said the district has carried over the same amount for several years, so it appears to be excess money.

The board voted to add the item to a list of "global cuts" that it will consider in the second round after Superintendent Nicholas Gledich asked for time to confer with principals on the impact of cutting more than $500,000 from the line item.

Initially, the board agreed to keep the $500,000 cut in and consider increasing it next week, but it later voted to eliminate the line item, along with the summer programs, from the approved cuts.

The action on the cuts came after 11 p.m., when much of the standing-room-only crowd that showed up for the meeting had left. Many spoke during a public comment portion of the meeting earlier in the evening, pleading with the board to avoid layoffs and cuts that would impact classrooms.

The magnitude of the cuts is a moving target, as estimates of how much the state legislature will cut from K-12 education range from $260 million to $509 million. The lower number would mean D-11 would need to cut about $11 million, and the larger number would mean it would have to cut more than the previous high target of $16 million, said Glenn Gustafson, deputy superintendent and chief financial officer.

Wednesday's vote cut about $850,000 from the $225 million budget.

Gustafson also briefed the board on the status of the district’s reserve funds, but he and Superintendent Nicholas Gledich warned the board that it should proceed cautiously before dipping into reserves to meet recurring costs.

Gledich suggested the board consider reserve funds that might be available as a way to meet budget challenges in 2011-12, which he expects to be just as or more difficult than this year’s cuts.

District administrators were seeking approval of a list of 139 so-called rubric cuts, nearly $7 million, so it could proceed with the preparation of the preliminary budget. Those suggested cuts were the result of departments identifying cuts of 5, 10 and 15 percent that could be considered. Gledich said the district wanted the board to approve two sets of cuts this month so it could proceed with budget preparation, adding that more modifications could be made in June with the final budget.

“Some additional difficult decisions might need to be made in May, but at this time, I as superintendent am not recommending pay cuts or a reduction in positions as they appear on some of the global lists,” he said, referring to a list of items that the board could consider for cutting beyond the initial round of cuts.

The first list of cuts includes elimination of about 50 positions, many of which are vacant; others are filled by people who will retire this year. Some of the personnel cuts entail reducing days, rather than actually cutting positions.

A motion by Jan Tanner to approve the administration’s recommendations for rubric cuts was defeated 2-5, with her and LuAnn Long supporting the motion. Tanner suggested that others make amendments on specific items, but other board members balked at that process.

Normally, when the board considers action items a motion is required before discussion can begin. After defeating Tanner's motion, the board began discussing the list of 139 items with no motion on the floor.

Earlier, three board members tried to delay a vote on the first set of cuts, but that attempt was voted down 4-3.

Those who opposed the motion to delay the vote were board members Tom Strand, Tanner, Long and Sandra Mann.

Board members Al Loma, Charlie Bobbitt and Bob Null then opposed the motion to approve the agenda and lost again, on a 4-3 vote.

After a brief recognition of district karate students who won awards at the state level, the board began hearing citizen comments on the proposed cuts.

Teachers and parents pleaded that the board keep cuts far from the classroom, and to avoid increasing class size.

Kevin Marshall, president of the Colorado Springs Education Association, said the union has suggested cuts that would allow the district to avoid layoffs, furloughs or across-the-board pay cuts.

Connie Maier, a third-grade teacher at West Elementary School, gave an impassioned plea to keep the “people who reach out and touch them (students) every day,” to include teachers, custodians and support staff.

She said students need to know people care about them and expect them to succeed more than they need computers and other technology.

“We give them more stuff instead of more quality time,” she said. “That’s pretty much what we’re doing again.”

Most of those speaking said they realize the board must make tough decisions, but suggested they spend less on textbooks and supplies and look for other cuts that are far from the classroom.

The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the administration building, 1115 N. El Paso St., and resume work on cutting the budget.