n Special Edition – March 8, 2013
E-News Special Report
District to cut approximately $25 million to balance FY14 budget
More than 300 positions to be eliminated, services curtailed, programs discontinued
Over the past 10 years, Columbus City Schools has reduced budget growth by nearly $150 million. Hundreds of staff positions have been cut, programs eliminated, services curtailed, and wage concessions were negotiated (and in the case of Central Office Administrators, wages were frozen).
During this same period, we have strategically leveraged grants, federal funds, and partnerships in order to build organizational capacity to improve student achievement. We have also invested in our students through the implementation of new programs, innovative schools, improved curriculum to meet the new common core standards, and even upgraded school safety systems.
Limited state budget increases and a delay in requesting a new operating levy have forced the District to reduce expenditures by approximately $25 million for FY14. While we will continue to do our best to minimize the impact at the classroom level, so much has been cut over the years that there is almost nothing that can be eliminated today that will not impact the District's schools in some way or another.
We have systematically looked at nearly every program, department, support function, school, and major service contract. As is customary for a school district, nearly 85% of our costs are associated with personnel. Clearly, to extract another $25 million from an already lean budget means that the majority of the impact is going to be realized through staff reductions – equaling more than 300 positions across all levels of the organization.
We have carefully considered how these recommendations impact different grade levels, various staff classifications, the ability to comply with state and federal requirements, and our ability to still provide a strong foundational program for our students. We also have to be strategic in our thinking and recognize that we need to continue to invest in long-term improvement efforts, such as early reading intervention and pre-kindergarten programs that provide students with much needed academic support at an earlier age.
This is unquestionably a very difficult time. While these recommended reductions fulfill our need to save money, they most assuredly do not make us better or enable us to more effectively support our schools or students.
Respectfully,
Gene T. Harris, Ph.D.
Superintendent/CEO
Are you receiving a pass-along copy of CCS eNews?
To subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Click here
or here to opt out.
Disclaimer: This message and any attachments are for the intended recipient's use only. It may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information or otherwise be protected from disclosure by other legal rules. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and destroy all copies. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose or reproduce this message, its attachment or any part thereof, or take any action in reliance thereon. Emails are not secure and cannot be guaranteed to be error free as they can be intercepted, amended, or contain viruses. Anyone who communicates with us by email is deemed to have accepted these risks.
