District Budget Update
by Dr. Brad Rahe
January 08, 2010
If you were to walk into any building in our district you would never notice that USD 263 has had over $800,000 in cuts. This is a strong testament to our district staff. Our district employees will do whatever it takes, with whatever resources they have available; to make sure your students continue to receive a great education. Our people represent what is good about professional educators; students come first.
As more budget cuts are being considered in Topeka, the Board of Education has set four goals to direct the district towards meeting this funding crisis. The number one goal is to save and maintain all current jobs. In the past year, 26.5 positions were either cut or reduced. The result has been class sizes of 25 to 28, the elimination of some elective courses plus shared duties from building to building. Many employees in the district have assumed numerous additional job responsibilities. The second goal is not to cut any student contact days. When days are removed from the calendar the classified employees (hourly employees) suffer the brunt of the cuts plus students miss quality instructional time with their teachers. This also denies some students with what might be the best meal they get during the day. Goal number three is to maintain the classrooms. This includes making sure that teachers have the necessary supplies and equipment to adequately educate our students. The final goal is to keep all of the buildings clean and safe. No matter what happens with the budget, the safety of our students and staff comes first.
Along with the cuts from the previous year, adjustments have also been made since the beginning of school. The buildings were closed during Thanksgiving, winter break and will be closed during spring break. Older vehicles have been removed from service and the insurance deductibles on vehicles were raised. Heating and cooling units have been adjusted to assist in the reduction of utility costs. Within the budget, we continue to review each expenditure to make sure we are getting the maximum benefit from our different sources of revenue.
With the use of creativity, imagination, and caring, quality employees, our district will make it through the funding crisis. Rest assured that we are going to continue to advocate for our students and provide the quality education and services that you expect of the Mulvane School System.
