LPOSD: Cuts likely districtwide

SANDPOINT  — Patrons should expect a stripped-down Lake Pend Oreille School District when the new school year begins this fall.

Very few LPOSD programs other than those specifically funded by a supplemental levy will come out of the current economic situation unscathed, officials said during a workshop held Wednesday in an unfinished classroom at Kootenai Elementary.

LPOSD is preparing to receive $2 to $2.5 million less in funding from the Idaho Legislature in FY 2011, Superintendent Dick Cvitanich said.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted what would happen in this economy,” he said.

Of the 100-plus people who attended the workshop, many came out of fear that district trustees plan to close Northside Elementary.

But Cvitanich said after he met with patrons last week at Northside, he wanted to provide them with context regarding the district’s financial situation so they understand Northside is not being singled out.

The cuts will be felt district wide, he said.

An LPOSD committee tasked with determining where those $2 to $2.5 million in reductions will come from recommends:

 • $936,000 in staff cuts across the board;

•  Saving $435,000 by rezoning Sagle, Northside, Hope and Lake Pend Oreille Alternative schools;

• Spending $200,000 less on curriculum and teaching supplies;

• Reducing maintenance services by $75,000;

• Eliminating mid-day kindergarten transportation to the tune of $70,000;

• Using a one-time FY 2010 carryover of $355,000;

• Leaving $429,000 in staff funding intact because that money is provided by the supplemental levy which  expires next year.

 In the past four years, LPOSD has cut 50.47 certified positions, including teachers and counselors; 3.5 certified administrative positions; and 24.2 classified staff because of declining enrollment attributed in large part to escalating property values, Cvitanich said.

“I think everything has to be on the table,” said board chair Vickie Pfeiffer after a patron questioned why district officials would consider closing Northside and still keep athletic programs intact.

But the short answer to that question — at least for the 2010-’11 school year — is that the $10,950,000 two-year supplemental levy specifically funds after school activities such as athletics, along with curriculum supplies and a number of staff positions.

However, that may be a moot point regarding athletics because while LPOSD has taken a conservative approach to its finances and is healthy financially, other surrounding districts are in far more dire circumstances, Cvitanich said.

“There may not be JV or C teams (in surrounding districts) to play,” he said.

While LPOSD has a solid reserve fund, Post Falls School District, for example, has only two days worth of reserves.

Having that reserve fund intact is important in the event of some disaster like having a school burn down or a school roof collapse, Cvitanich said.

Although the Idaho Legislature is constitutionally mandated to adequately fund education, given the current economic climate, patrons may have to assume more financial responsibility for the district once the supplemental levy expires in 2011, he added.

Legislative officials announced Wednesday that they do not anticipate holding back education funds this year, however, they are projecting an $85 million decrease in that budget for FY 11.

The school district also is in danger of losing $825,000 in state funds it receives through its protected status related to declining enrollment.

Idaho Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna is recommending that the Legislature eliminate $5 million in funding for school districts that fall within protection status.

District officials are encouraging patrons to write their legislators expressing their displeasure of that suggestion.

LPOSD trustees do not anticipate holding additional budget workshops until sometime in March after the Legislature sets the education budget.

If trustees do vote to close Northside, Pfeiffer asked that if patrons intend to petition the district to bring the matter to a vote, that they do so quickly so trustees can finalize its budget.

“I would sign the petition myself to get it moving forward,” she said.

 To close a school, Idaho Code requires a vote by school district trustees. However, by filing a petition, five registered school district voters (zone does not matter) can force the issue to a district-wide vote.

If the measure fails, it cannot be brought up for another 90 days.