Bloomer Schools looking at making cuts

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By ELIZABETH HOCHSTEDLER
elizabeth.hochstedler@lee.net
Monday, January 5, 2009 11:05 AM CST

The slumping economy is hurting nearly everyone. Businesses are losing revenue, individuals are losing jobs and wages, and school districts are feeling the pinch as well.

The Bloomer School District will have to cut $200,000 from its 2009-2010 budget, and the Cadott Community School District is holding steady despite huge hurdles.

Bloomer Superintendent Mary Randall said the district began looking at next school year’s budget in November and realized that cuts will have to be made.

The district has yet to identify where those cuts will come. Randall has met with administrators and plans to meet with staff this month to get their input on where reductions can be made.

“I already have the administrators’ input, and when you ask staff members, they have opinions because they work with the children every day and they know where the resources need to be,” Randall said.

The cuts are needed largely because contracts with all district staff had been in negotiation and were behind by two years.

The budget was balanced before those negotiations concluded.

“Those reductions, you know they’re coming when you wait two years to settle a contract,” Randall said.

Anticipated declining revenues and changes to a law that caps teachers’ pay have led to the district to look at trimming the budget in the future as well.

“I think we’ll be facing some reductions for the next two or three years,” Randall said.

Bloomer expects another $100,000 will have to be cut in 2010-2011, but any budgets past that are hard to anticipate. The 2008-2009 budget levied $4 million.

“The importance of making our reductions early is we don’t face a big fallout in the end,” Randall said.

She admits the cuts will be hard on the district, but they have to be done in order to balance the budget.

“I think any time that you’re making cuts it’s painful for everyone, because generally those cuts come in reduced services to children,” Randall said. “It’s always nice when you can add programs and services to students, and it’s always painful when you have to take those away.”

Cadott

Cadott Community School District isn’t being hit by any reductions at this time, Superintendent Guy Habeck said.

The district has an $8.7 million 2008-2009 budget, and is keeping afloat in part because of cuts made in the past.

“We’re a financially sound district,” Habeck said. “The school board and I have used staff attrition … and that sort of thing to keep a sound district.”

Cadott also looks at all cost-savings measures, including using compressed natural gas to run its buses, which they’ve done for the past 20 years. Because of such steps, the district will not have to face the reductions other schools are making.

“We have not had to lay off staff or cut programs like other schools districts,” Habeck said.

However, the district is barely making revenues and expenses meet.

“We have to do all we can each year to get things to balance in the end,” Habeck said.

Cadott doesn’t anticipate adding any new programs to a budget that is already stretching thin.

“We’ve looked at our budget options, but we’re being very cautious about what we do,” Habeck said. “Now might not be a time to add new things, but how much of the present things that we have that we’ll be able to retain, that’s unknown.”

The unknown

Not knowing what lies ahead for schools hinders budget planning.

Cadott’s school district is aided heavily, so any changes made in funding models could have a dramatic impact on its budget.

“We’re in OK shape right now pending on things staying the same,” Habeck said. “If things change significantly or if the funding level dropped, then we’d have to revaluate things in a very serious way.”

The keys for Bloomer have been lower property values and a steady enrollment, Randall said.

School districts rely on steady or increased enrollments for their aid numbers to remain constant or rise. Randall hopes Bloomer area residents can keep their jobs and stay in the area, so the enrollment remains stable.

“Our funding is based on the number of students we have, and keeping our students and our schools strong is important because people will go where the schools are strong,” she said.

Enrollment in Cadott has also been steady, though Habeck would like to see it increase.

Both superintendents said the current economy and federal and state budget strains hinder all schools.

“The districts that have been able to hold steady and hold firm are finding that there’s no way to fend off reductions based on our current economy,” Randall said. “It’s going to be hard for everyone, and schools are no exception.”

“All schools have a tough time,” Habeck said. “It doesn’t matter the size.”