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Rogue River High will lose teacher Budget plan also cuts driver ed and speech By VICKI GUARINO ROGUE RIVER -- The 1,300-student high school would take the heaviest hits under administrators' budget proposal for the coming year. The school would lose one of two dozen teachers and drop its speech program under a $8.1 million general fund budget presented to the district's budget committee Monday. High-schoolers also would lose driver education classes. The position of athletic director would be eliminated, and job responsibilities would go to an administrator. An administrator also would take over duties of high school campus security. The district would not continue the contract with a private security company, which puts one guard on patrol at the high school. Superintendent Charles Hellman said the cuts are needed to compensate for revenues that haven't kept pace with costs, and to allow the district to bolster instruction at the grade-school level. The budget committee Monday reviewed plans to add teachers and instruction in the elementary grades. Members also reviewed districtwide programs and administration. The committee meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the high school library to review spending plans at Rogue River Middle School and Rogue River High School, transportation and remaining special funds. The committee is expected to finish its work Wednesday, but if necessary the panel will meet at 6 p.m. Monday. Hellman said the committee usually takes only two meetings to finish its review. The budget then goes to the school board for public hearing and final adoption. The proposed 1999-2000 budget is drawn on early revenue projections by the state Department of Education. The projection was based on Gov. John Kitzhaber's first budget proposal for schools -- some $4.4 billion for public schools in Oregon over two years. But schools are expected to receive a larger allotment. In the past week or so, debate in Salem has ranged from about $4.7 billion to close to $5 billion. If lawmakers appropriate more money than earlier estimated, Hellman said, the district would make spending amendments, which would have to be approved by the school board. Using the lower state funding estimate, Hellman said, the district is facing an overall revenue increase for the coming year of just under $200,000. Of that amount, the district will have to pay about $105,000 in additional funds to the state retirement program. The district also will be paying an additional $60,000 to teachers, representing the increase finally approved after lengthy negotiations nearly brought the district to a strike. Nonetheless, the spending plan includes new programs for the district's youngest students. Teaching staff will be boosted to keep kindergarten-grade three classes small -- 18 to 22 students -- and give fourth- and fifth-graders extra help to meet the state's fifth-grade academic benchmarks. "We will be looking to re-allocate personnel to the grade schools," Hellman said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA