Facing Budget Crunch, Council Rock to Reduce Staff

Facing a $14.2 million deficit for 2011-2012, the Council Rock School District administration is proposing $11.2 million in budget cuts, including the elimination of 62 staff positions.

At a district Finance Committee meeting Thursday, Superintendent Mark Klein presented the proposed cuts, which include the elimination of 12 elementary teachers, 18 secondary teachers, and three administrators.

Klein said staffing reductions will be a combination of tenured and non-tenured teachers. Staffing cuts will be based on the needs of each school and the enrollments in each subject, he said.

Despite the reductions, the district is still facing a $3 million shortfall. A 1.4 percent tax increase -- the maximum allowed by state law under Act 1 -- has already been factored into the revenue for next year. The use of $4 million in fund balance has also been proposed in the draft budget.

Klein said the district is facing its “worse case scenario” when it comes to next year’s budget due to several economic factors, including a $3.75 million reduction in state aid, tax revenue declines, and increases in contractual obligations like salary and benefits.

Under Act 1, the district must limit the budget increase to 1.4 percent of the previous year unless an exception is sought, which Council Rock has not. That means the final budget, which will be approved in June, has to be somewhere between $196 million and $198 million.

A $196 million budget represents no increase. The maximum increase of 1.4 percent, which now seems likely, would put the budget at about $198 million.

The district is also proposing cutting $300,000 – or 15 percent – of its budget for co-curricular activities, like sports, clubs, music, theatre, and the arts.

Other budget cuts proposed by the administration include $270,000 in supplies, such as books and software, and $150,000 for professional development.

Klein said the administration has reduced $1.1 million from its facility and maintenance budget through energy savings and reductions to supplies and services.

In addition to reducing staff size, the district is expecting 15 retirements, which will change salary and benefit figures, saving the district $900,000 from last year. Klein said that number could very well increase. Typically there are 25 retirements each year, he said.

Reducing the district’s elementary staff by 12 teachers eliminates $889,000 from the budget. Even without the drastic state cuts, Council Rock would have eliminated eight elementary teachers due to enrollment reductions, he added.

The elimination of 18 secondary teachers cuts $1.17 million from the budget.

Klein said the district will be able to maintain its class size despite the reduction in staff.

Three administrative support positions will be reduced, as well as $20,000 in funding for legal services, $150,000 in transportation, and $22,000 for homebound instruction.

“I respect the fact that Governor Corbett has the same problem we do. He has a $4 billion hole to fill,” Klein said.  While Council Rock is feeling the pinch, districts that rely more heavily on state funding – like Philadelphia, for example – are devastated, Klein said.

Board member Patty Sexton said she would be in favor of reducing administrative staff before cutting back on teachers. “We have five principals in each high school. If we’re going to cut teachers, and risk increasing class size, I would rather cut the principals,” she said.

Klein said having five principals at the high school is within the 1 to 500 administrator-to-student ratio that is district protocol.

Klein said the administration will continue to work on the budget in the weeks to come.

In the meantime, there’s a public forum scheduled for Wednesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chancellor Center.  It will be an opportunity for the community to see the proposed budget and learn about the changes sought to address the deficit.

For more information on the budget process, visit the district’s Web site at www.crsd.org and click on the “finances” link on the front page.  Questions and suggestions regarding the budget can be directed to budget@crsd.org.