LETTER: You do the math
By Contributor
Pretend you are back at school and your teacher assigns you the following math problem:
School District 20 is facing another huge fiscal crisis due to government down-loading of costs and needs to cut its budget by $1,750,000 and has decided that it wants to close some schools before sharing all of the potential options it may be considering for addressing its budget crisis.
Your assignment is to analyse the following potential options, determine your priorities and to send a letter to the School Board with your advice on how to reduce the District’s Annual Budget by $1,750,000 over the next 3 years.
You have until February 4, 2013 to complete this assignment.
A. How to Balance the Budget by Eliminating Programs & Services to Students
Eliminate Elementary School Teacher-Librarian Program-$184,500
Eliminate Trades/Apprenticeship Program-$50,000
Eliminate District Learning Coordination Program-$92,254
Eliminate District Integration Support Coordination Program for Special Needs Students-$92,254
Eliminate More Elective Programs at Secondary Schools by Increasing Class Sizes-$119,925/$249,075
Total potential annual savings -$538,933/$668,083
B. How to Balance the Budget by Closing/Reconfiguring Rossland Schools
Close Rossland Secondary School and move Grade 8-12 students to JL Crowe and make MacLean Elementary School K-7–$455,000
Close MacLean Elementary School and make Rossland Secondary School K-9 and move Grade 10-12 students to JL Crowe-$285,000
Close Maclean Elementary School and make Rossland Secondary School K-12-$145,000
Total potential annual savings -$145,000/$455,000
C. How to balance the Budget by Closing/Reconfiguring Castlegar Schools
Close Castlegar Primary School and move students to Twin Rivers Elementary School-$170,000
Combine Castlegar Primary School and Twin Rivers Elementary School as one campus-$74,000
Total potential annual savings -$74,000/$170,000
D. How to Balance the Budget by Eliminating Library Assistants and Reducing Custodial/Clerical Staff
Eliminate Library Assistants in all schools-$182,105
Reduce Custodial Services at Secondary Schools-$50,000/$100,000
Reduce Clerical Services at all schools-$25,300/$75,900
Total potential annual savings-$257,405/$358,005
E. How to balance the Budget by Down-loading Bussing Costs to Parents
Charge each family $120/$240 per student/year for bussing -$180,000/$360,000
Eliminate all bussing for all students or just for Grade 8-12 students and provide families with $35/month per student if they are outside walk limits to get their children to school-$533,000/$218,000
Total potential annual savings-$180,000/$533,000
Additional instructions:
“Look at all of the potential annual savings in A-E.
The range is $1,195,338 to $2,184,088
You have $2,184,088 of options.
You need to cut $1,750,000 from the District’s budget.
What are you going to keep and what are you going to cut?
You can speak to anyone in School District 20 to assist you in completing this assignment.
Please include any options for reducing the budget without impacting any of the above.
Remember, this assignment is due by February 4, 2013.”
Your Math Teacher
(Andy Davidoff, KCTU)
