School employees learn about cuts
More than 50 Boundary County School District employees attended an April 9 meeting to learn more about a pending state law that would allow their pay to be reduced.
A state committee in March agreed to cut $69 million from the Idaho’s school districts. The committee approved cuts in maintenance, transportation, textbooks and salaries. Locally, it could mean reducing pay for teachers, secretaries, custodians, aides, bus drivers and cafeteria workers by 2.6 percent and administrators, which includes principals, by 5 percent.
In addition, the school district doesn’t expect to receive funding for field trips for two years, said Superintendent Dr. Don Bartling.
Athletic director Ted Reynolds said he has heard athletics could be cut by 10 percent. Reynolds expects schools to cut out away games to save transportation costs, and since Bonners Ferry is the furthest north, it’s more likely that teams will not travel here.
The school district gets 80 percent of its funding from the state. Funding from the state is expected to be cut by $518,268.
“I feel we are working in good faith,” school board chairwoman Melanie Staples told employees. “Our goal as a board is to work with you to meet the needs of the kids and keep the district as whole and healthy as possible. I don’t believe this has ever happened in our history.”
The school district expects the following cuts:
• $180,000 due to a reduction of 43 students.
• $22,000 from administrators’ pay
• $110,116 from teachers’ pay
• $21,539 from other employees’ pay
• Teachers will start at $30,915 down from $31,750
• $26,406 in benefits
• $40,000 for text books
• $4,937 in teaching supplies.
Boundary County Middle School history teacher Jan Studer asked if the state was getting any of the federal stimulus money.
“The state is in such a deficit that a lot of the stimulus funds will cover that deficit,” said clerk-treasurer Diane Cartwright.
High school teacher Linda Hall told the school board she hopes the students are its top priority.
“It’s your responsibility to take care of this,” Hall said. “If we didn’t have the school, the people will not stay, but will go elsewhere. Be cautious about sending a negative message to the community. They just passed a levy.”
Among things the $865,000 approved by voters last month pay for are extra-curricular activities, 2 1/2 teachers, a half-time administrator and three classified employees and some textbooks.