Schools

School District Layoff Picture Not as Bad as Expected

The total number of projected layoffs continue to fall as district administrators continue to develop the 2012-13 budget. Taxpayers can also anticipate a slight decrease in their school taxes as well.

The 's 2012-13 budget is a fluid set of numbers and figures that continues to evolve as projections and unknowns become set in stone.

The latest update from administrators details a significant drop in the total number of employees who are expected to be laid off by next school year. Initial estimates presented in March projected between . However, just a month later that number has shrunk to no more than 5.5 teaching positions.

The reductions will not affect any programming in the district, officials say.

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The district used the remaining $527,113 of the American Jobs Act funding it was allotted in 2010 to reduce the number of layoffs. The district is also attempting to reduce its number of out-of-district placements for special education, which will reduce costs by $85,000. Both factors contributed to limiting the impact of layoffs.

The district pays education costs to outside districts or service providers to fulfill the educational needs for special education students. Keeping them in the district will save on those costs.

Find out what's happening in Menomonee Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We’re planning on limiting the impact of staff reductions in order to sustain appropriate class sizes and maintain the programming families expect,” said Superintendent Patricia Greco. “We believe we could be below the 5.5 reduction in (full-time positions).”

Greco said the final number of staff laid off and which positions will be axed will be determined by enrollment projections.

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Greco said the latest tax projection features another decrease in the district's property tax rate for the second consecutive year.

In 2012-13, taxpayers can expect the school district portion of their bill to drop 5 cents from $11.47 in 2011-12 to $11.42 per $1,000 of equalized value. That’s roughly a $12.50 decrease on the bill for an owner of a $250,000 home.

The overall projected expenditures in the district will total $47.4 million, which is a roughly a 1 percent decrease from last year.

The district achieved big savings in health costs by increasing staff contributions for health care, which was in February. The union, as well as administrators, agreed to up their contribution by 3.5 percent from 8 to 11.5 percent during the next fiscal year. That freed up $230,000.

The district also plans to move toward a self-funded health care model in January 2013 that will save another $300,000.

The School Board will consider the preliminary budget for approval on May 14. Even after that vote, the budget isn’t finalized until taxpayers give their stamp of approval during the annual meeting in September.

However, early approval of the preliminary budget allows the district to gain a competitive edge in hiring employees to fill any job openings that may occur as the year comes to an end. The final figures of the budget will continue to shift as budget assumptions are updated this summer.


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