Page 10
The INDEPENDENT, June 6, 2002__________________________ ____________________________________________ _____ ______________________________
Potential future cuts discussed in Vernonia budget committee
Three “levels” of cost cutting
for the Vernonia School District,
beyond what is in the recently
approved budget, were devel
oped by administrative staff at
all levels, with input from their
staffs. They are all undesire-
able, but they will serve as a
starting point if the legislature
fails to deal with the problem.
Hopefully, S uperintendent
Larry McClellan said, the dis
trict will have to make addition
al cuts to the proposed budget
only at the first level proposed.
This level represents a total re
duction of $45,000 that would
include reducing the contin
gency and ending fund bal
ances by $10,000, selling sur
plus equipment worth approxi
mately $5,000, eliminating one
in-service (teacher training) day
for $20,000, and eliminating all
field trips, a $10,000 reduction.
Level two, totaling $135,000,
would eliminate funding for jun
ior high sports, for $25,000.
The programs (football, volley
ball, boys and girls basketball
and track) could be operated
with volunteers and community
funding.
Additional cuts at level two
include reducing staff in the K-8
Media C enter ($15,000), re
placing a certified librarian in
the high school with an aide
($15,000), eliminating a half
time leadership team position
($40,000) and two more in-
service days ($40,000). Any
other alteration to the district
calendar, such as a reduction in
instructional days, becomes a
contract issue with certified em
ployees.
The final level of cuts pre
sented by McClellan plunged
the committee into depressed
silence. M cClellan said that
these deep cuts would dramat
ically undermine the district’s
strengths and am ount to
"shooting yourself in the foot.”
First, a half-time position in
grant writing and public/rela-
tions would be elim inated.
Since $800,000 of revenue in
cluded in the proposed budget
is in the form of competitive
grants, the impact of the loss of
this position is obvious, and
hardly
seems
worth
the
$30,000 ‘savings’. Second, with
old, high maintenance buildings
Vernonia students take first in contests
Two Vernonia students took
top honors in the Colum bia
County segment of the 26th an
nual Spelling Contest for the
State of Oregon.
Columbia County will be rep
resented by the following win
ners at the Oregon State Fair
Competition on August 31:
Division I (Grades K-5) -
Yolande
G endron-H erndon,
Washington Grade School.
Division II (Grades 6-8) -
Elizabeth Johnson, Rainier
Middle School.
Division III (Grades 9-12) -
Charles Gendron, Vernonia
High School.
Also
participating
from
W ashington Grade School
were Celia Gendron-Herndon,
who placed second in Division
I; Jessie Gehrke, who placed
second in Division II, and Brit-
tanie Roberts, who participated
in Division II.
Coordinated by the Oregon
Department of Education and
the Northwest Regional ESD.
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Across from High School
throughout the district, an addi
tional half-tim e m aintenance
position would go. Currently the
district has two full time mainte
nance workers and the ap
proved budget reduces that by
one-half.
The cuts at this level go on.
McClellan said that the district
would undoubtedly be joining
districts across the state in writ
ing to the Federal government
because, with the elimination of
a full-tim e special education
aide, the district would not be
able to meet federal require
ments. Level two cuts continue.
In this worst-case scenario
of level three cuts, one full time
teaching position would have to
be eliminated from the district.
The final element of this level
would be elimination of high
school wrestling.
Level
three
cuts
total
$155,000.
Com bining level
one
($45,000),
level two
($135,000) and level three the
total reduction in district pro
grams and services would be
$335,000. This represents a 12
percent reduction from the lev
el of school funding today. Ac
cording to McClellan the ex
pected worst case, if the legis
lature takes no action to pro
vide additional money for
schools, would be a reduction
of $320,000.
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