D-11 braces for budget cuts
Posted : Mar 3, 2010 10:36 PM
It's no secret that budget cuts are always a sore topic for any group. But as seen Wednesday night, when it comes to schools people are going to have a lot to say. Like most school districts across the state, Colorado Springs District 11 has to make some very tough decisions. As of right now, the district has outlined nearly $7 million dollars in preliminary cuts and an additional $2.6 million in global cuts. Some of those cuts include a half million dollars worth of instructional supplies and around a million dollars cut with the cancellation of summer school for elementary students.
With murmurings of furloughs, pay cuts and job losses, the teachers are banding together hoping to avoid those large cuts. "What they (students) need is their teachers, cooks, custodians." said one teacher at the school board meeting, "People that actually reach out and touch them every single day. People who make a difference every single day in their life."
It's important to remember that this is just a preliminary look at the budget proposal. The school board may have to cut a whole lot more, but hat all depends on what happens with state funding. That's when D-11 will find out if they have to dig deeper to such items as bus service and staff cuts. "We may have to look into furlough days or pay cuts." explains Elaine Nalesi, Communications Director for D-11, "Those are the things that will have to come if we have to go up as high was $16 million. We can't do it other wise." The final decision won't be made until June.
Concerned D-11 Parent at Mar 4th 2010 1:24 PM
If the District 11 is having a tough time deciding on budget cuts. The salary schedule for the Executives Professional at D-11 is public record and can be reviewed on-line (http://www.d11.org/sitemaps/staff.htm). Most of the executives directors and Principal have a starting salary of over 80k year, again this is a start pay and move up from there. Looks as if they make a pretty good living compared to the teachers, custodians,cooks, and other ESP's. Which are the people that have direct contact with our kids. The board needs to start making the cuts at the top before making the cuts with direct contacts of our children.