D-11 recommendation: Cut some supplies, save some assistant principals
The Gazette
Fewer assistant principals would be cut under a new recommendation presented to the Colorado Springs School District 11 board at a work session Tuesday.
The suggested dollar amount of cuts actually increased by about $10,000, to $874,765. The new recommendation would take more money out of non-instructional supplies and less from personnel. The district had considered cutting nine assistant principals.
The administration suggests cutting four assistant principal positions -- two from elementary schools, one from West Middle School and one from Coronado High School.
Some of the difference would be made up by consolidating supervision of alternative schools under one principal. That would include Tesla Educational Opportunity Center, the Bijou School, the Digital School at The Citadel mall and adult education programs. Each of the individual programs would have an assistant principal, but the overall savings would be nearly $108,000, said deputy superintendent Mike Poore.
The rest would come from non-instructional supplies, which vary greatly from school to school.
The board took no votes on recommended cuts at Tuesday’s session, and there was no indication of whether they support the new revised line item.
The board worked through various suggested cuts, which they will vote on Wednesday night.
Various board members questioned some numbers, but it was unclear whether most wanted to accept the recommendations.
The board also didn’t take up the issue of summer school programs, which it took off the chopping block at least temporarily last week. But it is expected to be discussed Wednesday night.
Superintendent Nicholas Gledich said he wanted to be sure he could be prepared for Wednesday’s meeting, when the board will vote on program cuts, which the administration initially recommended at about $7 million.
“I heard 26 comments … from individual board members,” he said. “We’ll look at those and will indicate them in some way on the chart for tomorrow night. I believe they may be items the board will want to vote on individually.
“I did hear some things tonight that I do want to talk to a few people about tomorrow.”
