Letter to the Editor: $2 Million Saved is $2 Million Earned for Woodridge Local Schools
To offer readers a comprehensive look at what the district has done to stay in the black, Superintendent Walter Davis goes in detail at what's been cut and saved over the last two years.
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Over the past two years, the Woodridge Local School District has implemented cost savings measures that have effectively reduced the district budget by 10%. Budget reductions, reduction in force, and contract changes have occurred in tiered reductions taking place in three phases thus far.
Tier One Reductions – November 2010
Salary and Benefit reductions = $450,000
- One Middle School teaching position
- One part –time technology specialist position
- Reduction of extended time (supplemental contracts)
- Six paraprofessional positions
- Restrict overtime
- Restrict field trips
- Reduce K-5 assistant secretarial hours
- Attrition savings
Non Salary reductions (reducing line items in the budget) = $289,500
- Transfer textbook allocation to Permanent Improvement fund
- Reduce maintenance budget allocations
- Restrict professional development / leave accounts
- Reduce supply budget allocations
- Reduce all general fund equipment allocations
- Reduce new library book allocations
- Reduce general fund software allocations
Tier Two Reductions – May 2011
Salary and Benefit reductions = $697,000
• 2 Reductions in Force (WMS – Family and Consumer Sciences / WMS – Art)
• Reduction of 1 Kindergarten section
• Reduction of 1 Third Grade section
• Reduction of 1 WHS English position (attrition)
• Reduction of 1 Health / Physical Education position (attrition)
• Additional attrition (2 positions)
• New administrators hired on new salary schedule
• Reduce 1 administrative position
• Combining Assistant HS Principal / Athletic Director positions
Tier Three Reductions – April / May 2012
Salary and Benefit Reductions = $524,000
• Reduction of 1 Library / Media Specialist position
• Reduction of 2 special education positions (1 through attrition)
• Reduction of 1 middle school teaching position
• Reduction of 8 bus monitor positions
• Reduction of 3 instructional assistant positions
• Reduction of 9 cafeteria / playground monitor positions
• Reduction of 1 central office secretarial position
• Reduction of assistant maintenance supervisor position
Implementation of Pay-to-Participate fees for 2012-13 school year = $70,000
Freezing of General Fund Supply / Professional Development/ Equipment / some Field Trip Accounts = $70,000
We continue to work to curb expenses while providing excellent educational opportunities for our students. Cutting just over $2.1 million from the general fund budget of the district over the past two school years we have trimmed general fund expenses by approximately 10%.
Don
8:16 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Perhaps it is time for several area public school districts to consider consolidation and computer based education with facilitators as opposed to expensive curriculum specialists and teachers that have to reinvent the classroom experience every year with new and different lesson plans?
Bernard Farrell
2:58 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
The previous comment exemplifies how out of touch many people in this country have become. Each child has a different learning style and without human interaction would suffer regardless of how bright he our she is. Your home value is only a good as your public school district. I doubt if a few hooked on phonics CDs will create the leaders of tomorrow. The districts would be far more successful if they had the ability to get rid of the teachers that were using the lesson plans they created 20 years ago when they first graduated from college.
Karl
10:09 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
I may have a good home value but I also know that I will have a very hard time selling my home because of high taxes, and we all know that the more money spent per kid results in a better education.
Just look at how good the schools are in Washington DC!