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Eagle Point school budget cuts get public airing By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT - Amid criticisms over management of the school district, Superintendent Bill Jones defended his administration's handling of its budget crisis. At an open forum held at Eagle Point Junior High School Tuesday night, about 75 school employees and parents questioned the steps the district has taken to make $1.4 million in cuts. Jones said the district will have to give up programs, change the way it provides special education, adapt to not having a district nurse and rethink how it teaches students. Despite these changes, Jones said, "We're not in worse shape than other Jackson County districts." The forum was sponsored by both the school district and the Eagle Point Education Association. Jody Streetman, president of the teachers' union, said a lot of her members and the public are suspicious about some of the cuts being made, particularly with the district potentially owing more than $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements. Jones said he couldn't respond to questions about the Medicaid investigation, which is looking into whether the district provided sufficient paperwork for special education students. This occurred from 1994 to 2000, which predates Jones' administration. Audience members also questioned why the district hasn't calculated the impacts of losing more money if Measure 13 fails. The legislative initiate converts a School Endowment Fund into a so-called rainy-day fund to fill a $220 million shortfall in education funding statewide. Jones didn't calculate this amount into the current budget scenario because "the $1.4 million was tough enough." He said the district had thought it wouldn't have to cut any more after reducing its budget by $1 million last year. "We thought we were on an even keel, but the bottom fell out of the Oregon economy," he said. As a result, the state slashed $112 million out of K-12 funding statewide, leaving school districts to pickup the pieces. While Jones favors the passage of Measure 13, Mike McEachern, an Oregon Education Association Uniserv consultant, told the audience his organization opposes it. "If it passes it could leave an $800-million budget hole in the next biennium in education," he said. With the potential of even greater cuts looming if Measure 13 fails, Jones said the district has some difficult decisions to make under the current budget situation. With all instructional assistants losing their jobs, Jones said, "We'll be rethinking how we serve special education in our district." He vowed to continue to provide the necessary level of service required by law for this expensive program. Some audience members wondered how the district could afford to man new schools being built in the district through $34 million in voter-approved bonds. Part of the budget dilemma, he said, is to provide enough of an ending fund balance so the district has enough money to pay for support personnel and another administrator for the two new middle schools. The district will also work to upgrade its curriculum, which hasn't been changed since the 1980s and now lags behind many other districts in Jackson County. "This is not something to be proud of," said Jones. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.