Mon Jan 12 2009, 7:00pm
District Meeting Room
Regular Meeting

ACTION ITEMS

2008-2009 Budget Conservaton Measures

Budget Conservation Measures for 2008-2009


With the prospect of significant cuts to the school district budget in the coming biennium it seems prudent to take steps in the current fiscal year that will preserve, and hopefully modestly increase our ending fund balance.

Many of these are difficult to put a savings estimate to. Our best estimates are that we may be able to retain about $80,000 in budget by implementing these measures.

The Administrative team has met and determined some measures that are being proposed for immediate implementation.

Travel
  • Eliminate overnight travel and conferences that are not included in negotiated agreements or required by employee’s supervisor and approved by the superintendent.  Estimated Savings $10,000
Substitute Costs
  • Reduce classified substitute usage by filling positions only to the extent needed to maintain a quality educational program. Estimated Savings $2,000
  • Eliminate District paid discretionary certificated substitutes.  Substitutes for professional development and other discretionary uses of substitute teachers may continue but will be the responsibilities of building budgets  (This, it is predicted, will reduced the number used.  As well, the overall liability to the district will be reduced as there is no carryover into future fiscal years of the district substitute budget, whereas building budgets do allow carryover.) Estimated Savings $5,000

Employee Costs
  • Classified hiring will be frozen.  Replacement hires will be approved following review of staffing to ensure that replacing duties of vacated positions cannot be otherwise assumed.  No Estimate

Operations
  • Reduce stadium lighting by 50% (Currently two banks of lights are used.  Reduce this to one bank).  Estimated Savings $200.00
  • Reduce all building thermostats 2° F.  Estimated savings at 2% of electric and natural gas costs $6,000

Technology
  • Replace software with expiring licenses with open-source freeware.  (From MS Outlook to Thunderbird/Lightning,  from MS Office Suite to OpenOffice 3.0) – Estimated Savings $33,000
  • Expansion and replacement of computer hardware will be reduced to an “as-needed” basis. –Estimated Savings $12,000

Learning Program
  • Suspend District Wide Curriculum and textbook adoptions.  Estimated Savings  $12,000
  • Suspend summer school programs, other than those that are self-sustaining.  Estimated Savings $4,000