The child care nightmare that could have resulted from a four-day school week for Duluth students was likely laid to rest Tuesday.
After voters approved the first level of funding for the district's operational levy, several Duluth School Board members said the chances of the extreme budget consideration becoming a reality next year are slim.
"Thankfully we're in a position now where we don't have to make some of the dramatic cuts we'd been worried about," said board member Mary Cameron. "We're still going to need to make some cuts, but at this point I'd like to see that one pulled from the list."
Threats of a four-day school week, closing Central High School early and a slew of other cuts have been hanging over the district for months as administrators and board members discussed what schools might look like without an operating levy. If the whole measure had gone down, the district would have been faced with a $7.7 million deficit next year. Tuesday's vote chopped that number in half, leaving the school board with $3.5 million to wrestle with in 2009.
"We've been cutting a few million every year for awhile now, so this pretty much puts us at the status quo," said Tim Grover, another board member. "It doesn't mean it won't be tough, because it always is, but it could have been a lot worse."
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Passage of level one may have also reduced the chances of a premature closing of Central High School and increased class size taking place next year, as several board members said those items had moved closer to the bottom of their list.
"Our class sizes are far too big already. As far as I'm concerned, touching those numbers is the last place I'd want to go," said Laura Condon, another board member. She added that closing Central early could prove disruptive for many families and was inclined to avoid that cut as well.
There appears to be less consensus about what board members would cut. Ideas being considered include consolidating some programs at the Secondary Technical Center, reducing staff development and scaling back the elementary school day.
At this point, nothing is officially on or off the table. Board members don't need to pass a budget until the spring. Funding decisions could be impacted by the amount of education funding approved for next year by the Minnesota State Legislature.
"We've still got a lot of things to consider before making these decisions, but we've got time to get there," Condon said. "It won't be easy, but, thanks to the generosity of the community, it will be doable."
