Residents of the Austin Public School District can expect information, and lots of it, to be distributed at Monday’s public forum to discuss potential budget adjustments.

Saturday, April 01, 2000

Residents of the Austin Public School District can expect information, and lots of it, to be distributed at Monday’s public forum to discuss potential budget adjustments.

Members of the district administration and board of education hope to gather public input at the 7:30 meeting regarding cuts that need to be made in next year’s operating budget.

At a special meeting of the school board held on March 22, Al Eckmann, director of management services, said if current staffing levels are kept for the next school year, the district could face a budget deficit in the neighborhood of $714,000. Districtwide, the goal for staff-to-student ratios is approximately one staff position for every 28 students.

Expecting to see enrollment decrease by the year 2005, the goal of the Austin schools finance committee is to cut $1 million from the budget, by eliminating positions in order to keep in line with the staffing ratios.

According to Austin Public School Superintendent Dr. James Hess, outside audits and an internal analysis of district operating expenses show the possibility that a ruling of a statutory operating debt could be levied, as three funds currently show deficits.

If the Austin District is ruled to be operating at a deficit by auditors, the district could lose control of its budget decisions, with a third-party brought in to help trim extraneous expenses.

A current draft of areas that could see proposed cuts equals approximately $1.3 million.

Thus far, school board members Kathy Green and Amy Baskin said they haven’t received suggestions from the public, expecting the bulk of input to come at Monday’s meeting, which will be held at Ellis Middle School.

"People are looking for information and may have said they plan on attending the meeting on Monday night," Green said. "Most understand that it is a difficult decision.

What we are hoping is that information will go out and we can see how far in debt the district is.

"It’s our hope that the public will give us ideas as what to look at. The more information that is out there, the better the decision that can be made for the benefit of the children," she added.

While it’s a real possibility that some district residents may approach the meetingwith criticism of cuts proposed, Baskin said that cooperative input is what is needed to remedy the situation.

At the meeting on March 22, when the proposal was released, forums were discussed as a way to gather public input on the drafted cuts. The hope is that residents help the decision-making process in an advisory role, bringing other reccomendations or possible areas to make cuts. With the forum only a day away, that same hope is still there for the school board.

"I’m hoping that people understand where we are at and they come with suggestions," Baskin said. "There may be things and areas that we haven’t considered and maybe others at the meeting will bring some alternatives."