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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > October > 23 > Entry
Details of Dayton schools’ proposed cuts
To help everyone get a better handle on what exactly Dayton school administrators have proposed for cuts, I’m spelling out everything they discussed Saturday here at Get on the Bus. The cuts proposed for January 2007 can be viewed by following the “continue reading” link. Go here for the cuts proposed for July 2007.
(If you want to add your two cents on this issue, take a look at the conversation going on here.)
Cuts proposed for January, 2007
Curriculum and Instruction
—Reduce high school electives for the second semester and eliminate 52 teachers.
Rationale: High school enrollment tends to decline in the second semester.
Savings: $1.2 million
—Reduce adjunct staff at Stivers and Colonel White high schools by 25 percent, affecting about 28 adjuncts.
Rationale: Saving can be made by cutting specialized arts services, like one-on-one lessons.
Savings: $101,000
—Reduce all Curriculum and Instruction budgets by 11 percent.
Rationale: Programs, including some teacher training, would be reduced.
Savings: $337,900
—Eliminate middle school foreign language and cut five teachers.
Rationale: Dayton had begun adding language teachers for grades 6 to 8 at each newly opened elementary school in hopes of building language skills before high school. This would end that program, but board members Saturday asked administrators to try to find a way to keep it.
Savings: $108,000
—Abolish administrative jobs of director of pupli services, executive director of grants, associate director of fine arts and associate director of ELA.
Rationale: Other administrators in curriculum would assume the workload.
Savings: $334,517
—Moving costs of nurses for handicapped kids and mental health workers for emotionally disturbed kids to grant funding.
Rationale: Saves general fund dollars.
Savings: $1.3 million
—Close the automotive program at Patterson Career Center.
Rationale: The district would find an alternative for its 15 students
Savings: $81,000
Total curriculum and instruction savings: $3.2 million
Superintendent’s office
—Reduce catered food
Rationale: This cuts food for events that do not involve students.
Savings: $26,000
—Cut two positions — associate director of human resources and a secretary.
Rationale: Won’t fill two open positions.
Savings: $142,029
—Reduce advertising
Rationale: Cut construction news updates and mailings.
Savings: $45,000
Total superintendent’s office savings: $213,029
—Realize workers’ compensation savings.
Rationale: Treasurer Stan Lucas said improvement in the district’s workers’ compensation rating and changes in the way the program is administered should results in a savings.
Savings: $3 million
Total Treasurer’s office savings: $3 million
Facilities Management
Utilities
—Natural gas costs lowered
Rationale: Lower prices should result in a savings. Negotiations are underway.
Total utilities savings: $900,000
Groundswork
—Lay off one groundsworker and reduce equipment maintenance.
Rationale: Reduce mowing to once every seven days instead of five.
Total groundswork savings: $38,164
Custodial
—Lay off 11 assistant custodians,15 substitute custodians, four night assistant custodians, one area manager and reduce overtime.
Rationale: Reduce service to “priority cleaning,” focused on trash removal, sweeping and bathrooms.
Total custodial savings: $562,795
Maintenance
—Eliminate contracted service and create two new HVAC positions on DPS staff. Reduce overtime. Conserve supplies.
Rationale: Reduce response time for some repairs.
Total maintenance savings: $336,057
Total facilities management savings: $1.8 million
Nutrition services
—Lay off six part-time food workers, hold off on point-of-sale equipment purchase, buy some cheaper food products, reduce cash reserve for kitchen repairs.
Rationale: Will slow down packaging time and delay repairs.
Total nutrition services savings: $252,632
Transportation
—Cut one body shop mechanic, 19 bus aides for special education bus routes, delay tire purchases for non-buses.
Rationale:Longer turnaround in repairs and less student supervision. Could result in disputes with labor unions.
Total transportation savings: $254,850
Safety and Security
—Delay hiring of second security officers for Kiser and Cornell Heights schools and eliminate one school safety liason.
Rationale: Reduce security coverage at those schools.
Total safety and security savings: $93,594
Athletics and Intramurals
—Cut high school golf, tennis, cross country, soccer and swimming, eliminating 27 coaches. Cut middle school track, softball, cheerleading, wrestling, and soccer, eliminating 29 coaches. Eliminate annual transfer of general funds to athletic budget.
Rationale: The district wants to maintain high interest sports and those that bring in revenue, epsecially football, basketball and volleyball. There was some talk Saturday of district-wide teams for some non-revenue sports that otherwise would be cut, an idea that could end up in the final proposal the board votes on.
Total athletics and intramural savings: $543,093
Business Operations
—Discontinue lease for extra parking under St. John’s Church next to the administration building.
Rationale: other extra parking is available nearby.
Total business operations savings: $14,000
Total overall savings: $9.4 million
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By What about the kids?
October 26, 2006 12:05 AM | Link to this
The thing that hurts the most is that the kids are the ones that miss out. They lose sports, field trips, class sizes increase. I think that the administration should take a cut. They are sitting in two huge buildings, that are costing the district millions of dollars. There are administrators making close to a hundred thousand dollars a year, and never come in contact with a student. The district should look at cutting more pointless positions, and quit taking from the kids!! Also, it is kind of convenient that they day after the teachers approve a strike notice, that the district SUDDENLY has money problems. Anyone else find that kind of a strange coincidence?By null
October 25, 2006 9:26 PM | Link to this
Wow…Give me a Break… the state would be better??? Ask anyone from Springfield how that went for them… Larger class sizes, NO extras, NO Sports, only minimal transportation and NO LOCAL SAY IN ANYTHING!!! NO THANK YOU!!!By Give Me a Break
October 25, 2006 4:13 PM | Link to this
I understand that the Dayton School Board was not forthcoming with an auditor trying to determine what money is available concerning contract negotiations coming up for teachers. This comes at the hand of the Dayton Board of Education president who seems to relish her power position (power abusive)and belittling the importance of teachers in the educational system. 0% payraise, 11% hike on health benefit payments by employees, doing away with “just cause hearings” for coaches, and refusing compensation for teachers doing “alternate assessments” which requires approx. 20-25 hours per child; come on. And now all of these cuts. It sounds like a coverup for mismanagement by those who are suppose to foresee complications or have chosen to ignore them; they knew that contract negotiations were coming up. CYA at the expense of the dedicated workers. I think we would be better with state controlled schools to get us back to the basics and an honest future for Dayton Public Schools.By Mary
October 24, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this
Regarding athletic expenditures,I think the administrators are misleading regarding revenue (no discussion of the expenditures that will still exceed revenue), have not defined what high interest/high hype?/high value really means in terms of students and public interest, and are not forthcoming about their own biases. What high school sports did the superintendent and principals play? Also, I think they will be non-compliant on Title IX as relates to sports and gender equity.By Charterschool Hater
October 23, 2006 10:38 PM | Link to this
Isn’t it amazing that eliminating 19 bus aides a body shop mechanic and delaying tire purchases saves less than cutting just four overpaid administrators. That tells me that we either have vastly underpaid bus aides and body mechanics or very overpaid administrators. It is probabaly the administrators who are taking too much of our money.