Jefferson school officials are considering a number of additional cuts, including the possibility of moving to a 4-day school week schedule.
The system is concerned that the financial downturn will continue to hammer the system’s budget through the next two school years. For FY2012, federal stimulus money will not longer be available. This year, that amounted to $474,600 to help pay school system salaries.
Jefferson considers 4-day school week
"The concern’s not just what’s in front of us,” said financial officer Kim Navas. “What’s in front of us is helping keep us afloat for the next two years.”
Today, the system is projecting $17.4 million in revenue with $17.5 million in expenses for FY10. The system had planned to need about $500,000 to balance the 2010 budget, but should only need about $130,000. When the expenses from the initial 2010 budget are compared to the revised projection, the system has cut $645,000.
Enabling this was the addition of three furlough days, a state insurance rate reduction and over-budgeting in certain areas.
Places where the system is considering cutting back are: Reducing or eliminating employer-paid health insurance premiums, which would save an estimated $20,000 a year; increasing teacher-student ratios that would save an estimated $100,000 a year; and switching to a four-day school week which, would tack on an additional hour and ten minutes a day. That move could save the system $47,000.
The system has already been saving money where substitute teachers are concerned by shifting teachers around to help cover classes.
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t’s also been paying close attention to transportation costs and utility usage, making sure nothing is running when there is no need.
“Energy conservation has really helped our situation,” Superintendent John Jackson said. “There’s no question about it.”
Ninety percent of the system’s money goes toward employee salaries and benefits, four percent to utilities, two percent to purchased services and supplies, while maintenance, technology, instructional costs and insurance each occupy one percent.
RENOVATIONS:
Ongoing renovation projects and impending renovation projects in the works with the BOE include:
•a roof repair at Jefferson Elementary School estimated to cost $25,000.
•a leak repair at the Jefferson High School gymnasium.
•a floor leak in the JHS ROTC meeting room.
•resurfacing the track at JHS is estimated to cost $340,000.
•renovations to the William Duncan Martin Vocation Building are expected to cost around $15,000.
•renovations at Memorial Stadium to the concession stand, restrooms and press box are impending.
•renovations to the Jefferson Middle School weight room are impending and estimated to cost $60,000.
•the field house at Memorial Stadium requires impending renovations.
•the JMS soccer field requires renovations expecteded to cost $20,500.
Today, the system is projecting $17.4 million in revenue with $17.5 million in expenses for FY10. The system had planned to need about $500,000 to balance the 2010 budget, but should only need about $130,000. When the expenses from the initial 2010 budget are compared to the revised projection, the system has cut $645,000.
Enabling this was the addition of three furlough days, a state insurance rate reduction and over-budgeting in certain areas.
Places where the system is considering cutting back are: Reducing or eliminating employer-paid health insurance premiums, which would save an estimated $20,000 a year; increasing teacher-student ratios that would save an estimated $100,000 a year; and switching to a four-day school week which, would tack on an additional hour and ten minutes a day. That move could save the system $47,000.
The system has already been saving money where substitute teachers are concerned by shifting teachers around to help cover classes.
I
t’s also been paying close attention to transportation costs and utility usage, making sure nothing is running when there is no need.
“Energy conservation has really helped our situation,” Superintendent John Jackson said. “There’s no question about it.”
Ninety percent of the system’s money goes toward employee salaries and benefits, four percent to utilities, two percent to purchased services and supplies, while maintenance, technology, instructional costs and insurance each occupy one percent.
RENOVATIONS:
Ongoing renovation projects and impending renovation projects in the works with the BOE include:
•a roof repair at Jefferson Elementary School estimated to cost $25,000.
•a leak repair at the Jefferson High School gymnasium.
•a floor leak in the JHS ROTC meeting room.
•resurfacing the track at JHS is estimated to cost $340,000.
•renovations to the William Duncan Martin Vocation Building are expected to cost around $15,000.
•renovations at Memorial Stadium to the concession stand, restrooms and press box are impending.
•renovations to the Jefferson Middle School weight room are impending and estimated to cost $60,000.
•the field house at Memorial Stadium requires impending renovations.
•the JMS soccer field requires renovations expecteded to cost $20,500.
Defined tags for this entry: Jefferson BOE
Will this put more pressure on them or be a blessing to them?
I also am concerned about after school activities as we are involved in many. I suppose those programs could adjust though.
I also wish we did not have to start school in the dog days of summer. That may not be a school financial issue though?
•a roof repair at Jefferson Elementary School estimated to cost $25,000. NEED
•a leak repair at the Jefferson High School gymnasium. NEED
•a floor leak in the JHS ROTC meeting room. NEED
•resurfacing the track at JHS is estimated to cost $340,000. WANT
•renovations to the William Duncan Martin Vocation Building are expected to cost around $15,000. WANT
•renovations at Memorial Stadium to the concession stand, restrooms and press box are impending. WANT
•renovations to the Jefferson Middle School weight room are impending and estimated to cost $60,000. WANT
•the field house at Memorial Stadium requires impending renovations. WANT
•the JMS soccer field requires renovations expected to cost $20,500. WANT
Well now, if you separate wants and needs, I just saved the JCS $435,500 plus what is not listed as a cost. Now stop screwing with the teachers and let them do their jobs by educating our youth to secure our country’s future!
Way to much money is spent on sports. Take all the money that is paid in admission, concessions, etc and put it back in to the General School Fund instead of the Booster Club deciding what to do with it. Quit paying the coaches extra just so they will coach. The coaches I had in school coached because they like it, not because they got paid extra.
Now here is the pitch – a four day school week will help meet the budget.
Here is the call -- An effective teacher has more impact on student performance than any other school-based factor say The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a fact that empirical research confirmed to them. What that says to me is, “Do not shorten the school week—extend it!” Kids need more face time with those effective teachers, not less.
The Federal government apparently has no qualms about burdening our kids with future financial debt, and now the school board wants to cheat them out of an education with a four-day week. Two outs and we’re in our last at bats. There is no joy in Mudville as the poem goes.
Schools need to focus on education and shift the responcibilities for after school sports to the parents where it belongs
Were it not for the extra-curricular activities including sports, where would our childrens' attentions go?
Without adequate facilities to practice and wouldn't we be limiting our childrens' scholarship opportunities?
Frankly, I am dissappointed that the comments on here have chosen to attack people personally.
I would hope that you show a better example at home to your children.
I am so happy to have my children attend Jefferson City Schools. I have trusted most of the decisions made by the leadership, but when I have disagreed, I have handled my grievances directly and in person with the appropriate parties, I have not "hidden" behind an anonymous post on a website.
While I am with Brian that sports/extra curricular activities should not be cut out, I find that my child's education is more important than the track getting resurfaced. My daughter is very talented in the arts and music and loves the specials provided to allow her to partake in these. She also plays soccer for the rec dept and is very good at it as well. I'm sure at least of these, if not all will continue to be a passion in the future when she's in high school. However, my daughter loves school. She loves to learn. She has had excellent teachers since she started attending 4 years ago.
I've been in those classrooms and seen many of the teachers overstressed, overworked, underfunded, and mostly unappreciated. Teachers already make horrible salaries. But does not anyone else realize that these people are the ones that help cultivate our children into the doctors, lawyers, physicists? Why do they make so little? What makes them any less of a person than the people they help create?
I'm with the others in starting school AFTER Labor Day...that would help funding. I find it absolutely ridiculous that Summer vacation is only 8 weeks! Also, cut back on the renovations to soccer fields, football stadiums, theaters, and tracks.
My family has had to cut back on luxuries because of the economy, why can't the school system?
I am a Jefferson mom and hurting from all this too.
I agree with many of you that the sports are definitely a priority here. However, they do also play an important role. Should it be more important than their education, no. The Jefferson schools also push their students academicaly as well. This is a good thing. But can also be a bad thing when they don't want anyone brining down their scores and ratings.
I cannot imagine how a 4 day schedule would affect all of us. It certainly would not be my choice. For many of us, our afternoons and evenings are already rushed. Tacking on another school hour would certainly make it more difficult. Plus, what about the working parents that have their kids in daycare programs? What kind of inconvenience will that no school day be for them?
For all the talk of cut backs, I am aware of several situations of new teachers and paras being hired (full time) at JES this year. How can we afford more teachers when we can't afford the ones we have? The answer: it's all about who you are, and who you know.
PTO money. Where does all of that go? Doesn't it seem like we are constantly doing fundraisers and being asked for class supplies? Are the fundraisers for more bronze statues, or the needs of our students?
Jefferson City taxes. Do we not pay an absorbant amount of taxes towards our school system? Out of city tuition. Does every out of city child pay that? Where does that money go?
This school system definitely has it faults, and should take a closer look at a lot of things (beyond budget problems). Our schools are not nearly as perfect as the staff and administration believes they are. However, it could be so much worse.
Hopefully, they will find some other ways to cut back some in various areas, before making drastic weekly schedule change. As many of you proposed, a revised school year schedule may even help (longer summer). A little give and take, and new thinking could go a long way to improve this situation.
This community has a lot of volunteers working in our schools on a daily basis. Non-paid people volunteering in classrooms, during testing, bringing supplies, mentoring, reading, etc. Thank goodness for all of them!
I am not personally attacking anyone here. I do not get involved with the "petty politics" around the school, or in our community as a whole. I live here to give my children a good education, and hopefully a city and school they can be proud of. I want (and expect) the school staff/administration/board to want the same thing for their families, AND OURS.
Thanks.
I'm surprised no one else has pointed this out in the previous comments. $47K is but a drop in the bucket of our $17.4 million projected revenue. You could save this $47,000 by simply postponing the weight room remodel. Do we really want to completely rearrange our school calendar and all school events, clubs, etc. just to save $47K? I might be more apt to consider the idea if it were saving, say $1 million. But taking into account how LITTLE it is going to save the system, I can't even fathom why they are even contemplating it!
I am opposed to the idea overall for several reasons. As a mother posted earlier, what is going to happen to these children on that fifth day if there is no school? I venture to say that most people work 5 days a week and would be burdened with having to first FIND child care and THEN be able to afford it! And what if they can't? What is going to happen to the middle and high-school children who are old enough to be left alone, but not yet responsible enough to be left to their own devices all day when parents are at work? I dare to wonder...
Another issue that I have with this 4 day school week is that I believe adding more time to the other 4 days is a serious mistake. Children are already drained by the end of the day, as are the teachers, and extending the day would be pointless and any education missed from a 5th day would certainly be lost completely.
I'm not going to blame the budget deficit on anyone or anything. I'm not informed well enough on many of the issues discussed above to have a legitimate argument. HOWEVER, I am educated enough to do simple math, which tells me that $47,000 is not going to make or break a $17.4 million budget. I also have 3 children, 2 of whom are school-aged, and I am knowledgeable enough to know that a 4 day school week would be disastrous, and not just for the children.
I sincerely hope that the officials considering this preposterous idea can find it in their hearts to squeeze that whopping $47,000 in savings out of another area of that $17.4 million. Please don't ruin the wonderful reputation the City of Jefferson schools has worked so hard to earn over the years and for God's sake, please don't take away time from our children that their teachers need to teach them what they need to know to be successful in life!
I just have to reiterate again:
"That move could save the system $47,000."
SERIOUSLY???!!!.........THAT'S IT?!
There HAS TO BE a better plan!