Demand curveball

Pioneer Press Mon, 05 May 2008 23:18:25 -0600
School board set to hear fiscal solutions

St. Paul school board members will hear details this afternoon about where schools and departments plan to cut to offset a $10 million budget shortfall for 2008-09, a gap fueled largely by declining enrollment. About $3 million of the shortfall is expected to be made up by fund balance, or reserves, leaving $7 million in cuts to be split roughly between school buildings and central programs. Fewer police officers will patrol the buildings, and a few programs are being cut or downsized. Many principals are looking at cutting teachers and support staff to fit the budgets. "We're going to have a new reality," said Kris Peterson, principal at the hardest-hit elementary school, Hayden Heights. But, "We're going to make it." Hayden Heights expects to be down between 50 and 60 students in grades K-6 in the fall. Peterson's budget is being cut 16.7 percent, the highest percentage of any elementary. Part of the problem, she said, is Hayden Heights has had trouble retaining Hmong refugees, because the school can't offer citywide busing. Refugee families are very mobile, she said, "but the busing can't follow the moves here at Hayden Heights." For next fall, she must cut three classroom teachers, a curriculum coordinator, an English-language learner teacher and part of a nursing position. "The big hit for us is really being down in classroom teachers," Peterson said. Class sizes, which are around 20 this year, likely will be around 26 next year, she said.

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