School officials getting plenty of input on cuts

Proposals to close a $3.75 million gap in the Grand Island Public Schools budget provide

something for everybody to hate.

"Hate" is probably too strong a word considering the civility that has been part of the

debate so far, although it is clear that nobody likes the proposed cuts.

The district started off with a deficit of $12.8 million that it needed to close. Cutting the

first $8 million to $9 million caused little outcry, but it is the final several million

dollars, which are affecting personnel, that has caused more debate.

The Independent asked permission to see the e-mails with the understanding that e-mailers

would be called to see if they would be willing to share their views in the newspaper. While

many people were passionate in their views, everybody was very civil, both in the 39 e-mails

submitted and also in the few interviews The Independent was able to conduct.

Gary Swallow, who said he worked at a manufacturing plant for 37 years, including 10 years as

plant manager, said his e-mail suggested cutting administrators, not classroom teachers.

Swallow said he did not believe that administrators have as big an impact on what happens in

the classroom as teachers, and that is one reason he favors cutting administrative personnel.

He also said administrators make more money than teachers, so a reduction eliminating one

administrator saves more money than eliminating one teacher.

He said he was not impressed that central office administrators have offered to have their

salaries frozen for the coming year. He said that prevents costs from rising, but it does not

lower costs to help close the deficit.

Kris McElligott is another person who questions whether enough has been done to cut

administrative costs, specifically at central administration.

When questioned by The Independent, Finance Director Virgil Harden said the district has the

right to issue reduction-in-force notices to building principals, as well as to teaching

staff. He noted the RIF notices that have already have been publicly discussed include a

half-time elementary principal.

Harden said he believes the superintendent would have the right to trim personnel in the

central office. Any administrative change would need approval or at least acquiescence by the

school board.

Harden also was questioned on whether the school district could unilaterally cut

administrative pay. After thinking the question through, Harden said he believes interim

Superintendent Harrison Cass could propose a cut in pay for both central office and building

administrators. He said pay cuts would have to be approved by a vote of the school board, who

would have earlier voted to approve the existing pay packages.

The district theoretically could cut that pay because administrators are not organized as a

formal bargaining group like the Grand Island Education Association.

But Harden said that might be a short-term solution with long-term consequences. He said

employees who have seen their pay cut could be motivated to form a bargaining unit to protect

themselves in the future.

The current situation for the Grand Island school district is that central office

administrators have offered to freeze their salaries for the coming year. GIPS classified

staff members have made the same offer.

Despite that pay freeze offer from classified staff, 8.84 FTE paraprofessionals with the

Grand Island school district are being laid off, Harden said.

While McElligott joined Swallow – and other e-mailers – in concern over administrative

costs, the original issue that prompted her e-mail was the proposal to cut back the amount of

time devoted to middle school math instruction, as well as the proposal to integrate the

middle school technology program with science.

McElligott said middle school is a critical time for math instruction. She said her concern

is that only the best math students will be able to grasp the increasingly difficult math

concepts introduced in middle school, while more students will struggle.

As a result, McElligott is worried that fewer middle school students will go on to take the

higher level math courses at Senior High, which can end with some students taking AP

calculus. She said a greater number of students will opt to take the less demanding math

track in high school because they spent less time on math while in middle school.

McElligott also objected to integrating middle school technology with science because she

believes it could hinder student achievement in both subject areas. She said the applied

science and applied math in middle school technology courses can help students decide if they

want to pursue careers such as engineering.

She said the middle school modules in technology give students hands-on experience in areas

such as robotics. McElligott said another concern is that the district's investment in the

technology modules will go to waste if technology and science are integrated.

She questioned why the district is cutting back on middle school technology instruction at

the same time it is planning on greatly expanded career and technology education (CTE) course

offerings at Senior High.

If middle school students somehow manage to get all the technology they need, then McElligott

said there is a danger those students will need to learn all the basic science they need to

know.

McElligott said a secondary issue for her is that it seems as though the cuts to athletic

programs are not balanced. She wondered why school officials are considering eliminating the

swim program – which is a relatively low-cost sport – and not making bigger cuts in the

more expensive sports programs.

Mikki Vlach and her husband were among several swim parents who sent e-mails to the school

district asking that the high school swim team not be eliminated. During an interview, Vlach

said their 10-year-old daughter, Izzy, is on the Quicksilver swim team.

Vlach believes her daughter will stay interested in the sport all the way through high

school, a view she also noted in her e-mail when she wrote, "she (Izzy) is already talking

about being a member of the high school swim team even though she has only been swimming for

a year."

Vlach said swim team is a relatively low-cost program, so she questioned the proposal to end

it. Because the sport is a cooperative program involving several schools, Vlach also wondered

whether other school districts could make a greater financial contribution to the program.

It sometimes seems as though the school district focuses its resources on "at-risk" students

to the detriment of motivated students like the ones on the Quicksilver team, who have swim

practice four days per week, 10 months per year, Vlach said.

Another proposal before the board is to cut fifth-grade band and orchestra. At the time, the

proposal was presented as simply delaying student participation in band and orchestra for one

year. But Walnut Middle School band instructor John Schultz was part of an e-mail that

reminded everyone of a possible unintended consequence of the delay.

Under the current system, band and orchestra teachers travel from building to building to

give lessons to small groups of students who are just learning how to play a band instrument

or string instrument, Schultz said. But those small groups add up to big numbers. During the

current school year, 374 fifth-graders began learning how to play a band instrument and 85

students began learning how to play a string instrument.

Those fifth-graders are spread over 14 elementary schools. But as sixth-graders, those

students would be concentrated in just three middle schools, creating problems both in terms

of staffing and perhaps physical space.

"Teaching beginning students in small groups leads to a better chance of success," Schultz

said.