The music and games will play on next school year at 28 Kent elementary schools.
After a community uproar over proposed 2011-12 budget cuts to eliminate elementary music and physical education programs, the Kent School Board voted Wednesday night to keep each program and its specialized teachers from the chopping block.
Most of the more than 300 people who showed up at a budget public hearing March 29 at Kentwood High School opposed cutting elementary music and P.E. programs from the Kent School District budget.
“We held the forum and it was very clear that the community wanted music and P.E. to stay,” said Bill Boyce, school board president, at the Wednesday meeting. “That’s why we took a look at everything else possible to cut to save music and P.E.”
The five-member board unanimously approved an estimated $15 million preliminary budget reduction plan for the 2011-12 school year that cuts about 120 jobs among teachers, administrators, custodians and other staff. A reduction in federal and state funding has caused the budget shortfall.
But rather than cutting the elementary music program ($3.8 million) and physical education program ($2.48 million), the board decided to include the following reductions presented by Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas and his staff:
• Reduce staff in the kindergarten through sixth grade enhancement program, cut 18 jobs; savings of $1.5 million.
• Increase middle school class sizes to 25 from 24 students, cut 12 jobs; $1 million.
• Cut National Board teaching stipends; $1.04 million.
• Reduced energy savings; $592,000.
• Cut four high school assistant principals; $542,000.
• Eliminated principals carryover travel fund; $248,000.
• Reduce mid-day kindergarten transportation; $129,000.
• Two furlough days served by central office administrators; $39,000.
The board already had agreed to an estimated $10 million in cuts that included the elimination of 33 jobs ($5.1 million) because of a loss of federal stimulus funding; 12 jobs because of Initiative 728 state funding ($1.1 million); 15 jobs from district program structure and delivery changes ($1.2 million); and 22 jobs from the district central office ($2.7 million).
The board will consider final approval of the budget cuts at its April 27 meeting. Reduction in force letters must go out to employees by May 13.
Vargas told the board that the estimated $5.9 million loss in state funding is based on Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed budget and that the number could change depending on what the Legislature decides about the state budget and school funding over the couple of weeks. The Legislature is scheduled to wrap up its session April 24.
Board members hope the state cuts to the district might be less than what Gregoire proposed, which could mean restoration of some of the proposed reductions.
Boyce credited Vargas and his staff for coming up with a fifth budget-cutting alternative for the board after a board workshop April 11 to discuss four other options caused the board to request a fifth option.
“I want to thank the administrative team,” Boyce said. “I know you get beat up a lot, but we asked you to dig deeper and find something else to cut and you did in 48 hours by taking time to do what’s best for the kids.”
For more information, go to the Kent School District website at www.kent.k12.wa.us.
