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More school cuts loom in Eagle Point District officials blame a seven-figure shortfall on cuts at the state level By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune After eliminating some 80 positions last year to save $1 million, the Eagle Point School District plans to cut more jobs to avoid a minimum $1.3 million shortfall in next year's budget. School officials blame the budget crisis squarely on the state's decision to cut $92 million from Oregon education next year, amounting to roughly $140 a student. "Obviously, I'm dismayed," said school board Chairman Fred Thomas. "The state's abandoned our kids for political gains." The district is faced with the grim task of deciding how many staff members to lay off and how many positions to leave vacant through attrition. As a result, class sizes could go up next fall and programs could be cut. Thomas and other school officials are worried the situation could get far worse if voters in May turn down legislative measures to use one-time school funds to prop up the current budget shortfall of about $1 billion. In this worst-case scenario, the district could be faced with a shortfall of $2.7 million next year, more than 10 percent of its $25 million annual budget. Thomas said the district will put everything on the table to make the cuts, including the possibility of letting go more classroom aides, teachers and administrative positions. "We have to consider every avenue to make the district work," he said. Jody Streetman, president of the Eagle Point Education Association, also blamed the district's problem on Salem. "People have been saying we are crying wolf," she said. "There are no wolves in sheep's clothing here. We are bare naked." She said the teachers' union doesn't know yet how deep the cuts will be, but her membership is telling her, "'Look at what they've done last year.'" However, she is dismayed at the depth of the cuts, particularly compared to the Medford School District's projections of $2.4 million in reductions with a budget more than three times larger. District finance director Greg Lecuyer said the cuts are needed because the district will receive less than anticipated revenues from the state and also faces unexpected increases in salaries and benefits - insurance alone jumped 25 percent this year. The district projects spending an extra $477,864 at all schools next year, $1.6 million more in salaries and benefits, $360,000 increases in special education, $200,000 more for textbooks and a loss of $48,600 for telecommunication charges from Senate Bill 622. This totals $2.7 million next year, but the district will receive only an additional $1.7 million in revenues from the state because of cuts in education. Lecuyer said the district wants to create a $300,000 buffer fund on top of the $1 million shortfall for any unforeseen financial problems. Superintendent Bill Jones said district officials had hoped last year's cuts would have meant few if any cuts this year. "Now the state has presented us with a whole new problem," he said. "The cuts we're faced with right now are a result of the situation in Salem." Jones said all three of the state's major education associations have come out against the passage of measures that would use one-time education money to salvage the current budget situation. "They don't want those funds raided," he said. Educators throughout the state are concerned that lawmakers will use up the money this year, paving the way for an even worse fiscal scenario for schools next year. Jones and other administrators throughout the county are holding their breath in case the budget problems worsen. While legislators debate the fate of education, Jones said he is left with the unwelcome task of trying to figure out how many positions to leave open through attrition and also how many temporary positions could be left unfilled before deciding who will lose their jobs. 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.