Sisters Schools look at deeper cuts

Some Sisters School District Budget Committee members are advocating wielding the budget knife more aggressively this year.

At the May 19 budget committee meeting, citizen member Matt Cyrus, this time backed by citizen members Darren Layne and Tim Larson, once again raised prospect of making deeper cuts this year to avoid "falling off a cliff" with next year's projected additional budget cuts of between $900,000 and $1.5 million.

School board members Glenn Lasken and Don Hedrick vigorously opposed considering any additional cuts at this time.

After spirited discussion, on a budget committee vote of 7-3 (Lasken, Hedrick and board member Jeff Smith dissenting), an additional $150,000 of cuts were added to the committee's recommendation to the board. The committee noted that these cuts were to come from labor costs.

"With all the cuts made last year, and the cuts proposed in the $600,000 budget reduction this year, the only place that an additional $150,000 can come is from reducing the number of FTEs (full time equivalent staff)," said interim superintendent Dennis Dempsey.

The resolution submitted to the board by the budget committee included a roughly $100,000 cut in the co-curricular budget.

Two methods of reaching the co-curricular cuts were presented. Sisters High Principal Bob Macauley and the coaches had prepared a recommendation modeled on the 1995 scheme for parsing sports support.

Interim Superintendent Dennis Dempsey had prepared an alternate proposal that included requiring each sport to fundraise $2,000 beyond the pay-to-play fee ($100/student per sport for the 2010-2011 season).

Dempsey's proposal was well received.

"We can support either proposal, and in fact Dennis' proposal does create equity between all the sports. However, at best, this type of funding is good for only for one or two more years," said Macauley.

"We are close to proposing some options for the long-term financing of our sports programs. The concept we are working on will help relieve the burden of fundraising from the coaches and minimize the constant pressure on the community and business' to support sport x and then sport y."

Dempsey said, "This is less money, distributed differently. There is a wide variation between sports in the need for fields, equipment, coaches and officials. It should also be carefully noted that these budget proposals only cover coaches, officials, and transportation. Equipment acquisition and replacement and 'club' sports are not included in these numbers."

All-day kindergarten was also included in the budget submitted by the budget committee. Board member Cheryl Stewart requested, "Will someone please get together and present the research data that shows the significant advantages of all- day kindergarten? I know the research exists and I would like to have it duly noted in the record. We've had excellent anecdotal testimony from 'downstream' teachers as to the positive effects of all-day kindergarten, I would just like some backup. I would like to know how long the benefit lasts."

During the community input session, Bill Birnbaum, speaking for the Sisters Hispanic Coalition made an impassioned plea to keep at least a minimal ESL program.

"We have submitted a letter to the school board and budget committee that includes a listing of the 33 Hispanic families in Sisters and the ages of their children. There are currently 12 ESL children in the Sisters schools, but there are at least 30 more children to be entering the Sisters schools in the next several years," Birnbaum said.

"An active ESL program not only provides great benefit to the English as a second language student in integrating into traditional school work, the ESL child in turn provides a link for his family and hence for the ESL community for integrating into the Sisters community."

The meeting closed with a recommendation that the budget committee continue their work past June 2 to help set up and be better prepared for next year's expected rounds of even deeper budget cuts.