Filer School District Joins Statewide Financial Emergency

April 19, 2010

Slashed state public school funding due to a sagging economy forced Filer School District to join the statewide declaration of financial emergency on Wednesday night.

Superintendent John Graham announced the district faces a 7.5 percent reduction in state funding in fiscal year 2011.

“Our district typically has a $7 million annual budget and we’re looking at $650,000 less in funding,” Graham said. “Declaring a financial emergency allows districts, among other possibilities, the option of discussing shorting contracts and reducing pay for staff.”

A 3 percent budget reduction this year forced the district to postpone the purchase of approximately $60,000 in new text books, eliminate one staff position in the district office, cut a half-time administrator and trim the school year by four days. The state requires teachers have a minimum of 900 contact hours with their students, and the Filer School District currently offers 10 school days above that minimum, down from 14.

“Teachers still have the same 190 (days) but students have fewer,” Graham said. “As a result, the salary of paraprofessionals was reduced and that was a cost savings to the district. But we were still about $50,000 short of making the budget balance. ”

For next year, rather than reducing staff, the district is working on plans to shrink, but not eliminate, nonacademic extracurricular programs. The outcome would mean fewer games for district sports and reduced transportation costs. Another consideration is moving to a four-day school week.

“All the buildings are pretty much right on target with the number of teachers each should have. So if we were reducing staff, we would not be saving the money you normally would,” Graham said. “That is not an avenue we can go to balance this budget.”

A public hearing on the fiscal year 2011 budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. June 9, in the Filer Elementary School library.

In other business, residents living near the construction site of the district’s $11 million intermediate school along Sixth Street brought a list of 20 concerns to the school board’s attention.

Homeowners, after speaking with several real-estate agents, believe the building’s location has resulted in a decrease in residential property values. They’ve requested a work stoppage on the north entrance of the building until grievances are addressed.

“Because of how the school went in so close to the road, some of us have lost about $10,000 in property value and could lose $5,000 more with an asphalt parking lot,” resident Linda Eastman said. “Our goal is to work toward an outcome that will limit our loss.”

Residents were also worried about the hazar ds of increased traffic flow and the possible impact it will have on student safety.

The school district has scheduled a special meeting to discuss resident concerns at 5:30 p.m. April 22 in the Filer Elementary School library.