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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
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FINAL CUTS Board vote favors $5.5 million in district budget reductions Staff Writer It's final.
The Brainerd School Board Monday voted to have the administration make $5.5 million in budget reductions by June 30 that would be effective for the 2008-09 school year. The reductions are the result of the Nov. 6 failed operating levy referendum sought by officials.
The administration plans to make the following reductions:
¥ Transportation, $180,000.
¥ Closure of schools, $500,000.
¥ Athletics and activities, $860,000.
Upcoming Brainerd School District meetings
7 p.m. Dec. 19, Whittier closure public hearing at Whittier School.
7 p.m. Dec. 20, Elementary listening session at Forestview Middle School.
12 p.m. Jan. 2, Curriculum Committee meeting to discuss K-4 program reductions at Washington Educational Services Building.
7 p.m. Jan. 7, Fifth- through eighth-grade middle school listening session at Forestview.
7 p.m. Jan. 14, Brainerd School Board meeting to approve K-4 reductions and Whittier closure approval.
7 p.m. Jan. 21, Brainerd High School listening session in the high school cafeteria.
11:30 a.m. Feb. 7, Curriculum Committee meeting to make recommendations for fifth- through 12th-grade programming reductions at Washington.
7 p.m. Feb. 11, School board meeting to vote on fifth- through 12th-grade programming reductions at Washington.
7 p.m. Feb. 25, Activities and athletics listening session at BHS cafeteria.
11:30 a.m. March 6, Curriculum Committee meeting to make activities and athletics reduction recommendations for the board.
7 p.m. March 10, School board meeting to vote on activities and athletics reductions.
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¥ Use of school facilities, $300,000.
¥ Class size and programs, $3,660,000.
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Brainerd School Board member Bob Nystrom listened during the board's regular meeting Monday as the names of 57 probationary teachers in the Brainerd School District whose contracts will be terminated at the end of this school year were read. Brainerd Dispatch/Clint Wood
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
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The reductions include closing Whittier and Lincoln elementary schools, and relocating the Minnesota Learning Center to Lincoln; cutting programming at all levels; eliminating the school and teacher of choice option to parents; enforcing a one-mile limit to which bus transportation will not be provided for students; and cutting 18 of the 29 high school league sports, along with all sports and activities at the middle-school level and all clubs and organizations with advisers.
Brainerd Superintendent Jerry Walseth said that the district is only in the beginning of the reduction process and he asked that people be patient and have open dialogue by coming to community meetings concerning the reductions.
The school board set several meetings from now until March on the reductions. The next meeting will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at Whittier that will discuss the school's closure. The school board will meet Feb. 11 to vote on fifth- through 12th-grade program reductions and March 10 to vote on athletics and activity reductions.
Walseth said the district plans to tackle what activities to cut last because it's not the school's prime mission.
"We know the importance of these activities, but our prime mission is that academics come first," said Walseth.
Board member Bob Nystrom said the school board stuck to the same reductions that it said it would do during the referendum campaign.
"There was nothing hidden," said Nystrom. "It's the same as we discussed."
Board Chair Kent Montgomery said, "As painful as this all is it doesn't get us there. We'll have further painful cuts to do. We took formal action (tonight) for the administration to make the cuts in these areas."
JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.
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