Graves' education cuts won't hurt district service
STAR-JOURNAL STAFF
Last week, Kansas Gov. Bill Graves announced that he was cutting $17.5 million from state education funding in an effort to balance the state's teetering budget.
The bottom line? Instead of spending $3,890 per student, the state will now spend $27 less — that's $3,863 per child.
But the reduction won't cut any services in the local Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh school district, according to school officials.
USD 410 stands to lose $28,871 because of the cuts, said district business manager Jerry Hinerman.
The district arrived at that dollar figure by multiplying the $27 increase by its weighted full-time equivalency enrollment. This FTE enrollment is higher than the actual number of children in school, since it adds more weight in categories such as students with special needs and transportation.
The Hillsboro district's FTE is 1069.3, Hinerman said, while the actual enrollment total is estimated at 668 children.
Although the nearly $30,000 that's being cut is a hefty sum, it won't affect any services or teacher salaries, Hinerman said. That's because earlier this year, when the district planned its 2002-03 budget, it assumed its per-pupil funding would be $20 less, Hinerman said.
That way, the district hasn't been hit as hard as some.
Although finances are stable for now, the district is still concerned that more cuts are in the future.
"There's a possibility," Hinerman said.
That's not good news from a state that's been in trouble financially since the spring of 2002.
"It's kind of gone downhill from there," Hinerman said.
Over in the Goessel school district, the budget cuts have also been felt by USD 411.
The Goessel district stands to lose approximately $8,000, said Superintendent Chet Roberts.
That's money that should be going to the students, he said.
This year, Goessel has a weighted enrollment of about 570, and an actual enrollment of 296 students, he said.
While these money cuts won't force the district to cut any services, USD 411 could feel the crunch if state funds are cut again, Roberts said.
"The problem as I see it is that there will be more cuts," he said.
Another area that has felt Graves' budget ax is special education. Last week's cuts reduced state aid to special education teachers by $200 each.
That means the Marion County Special Education Cooperative won't get the final $200 per staff member to pay the employees.
With approximately 90 teachers, paraeducators, and other staff working for the special ed coop, that translates to a loss of about $18,000 for the coop, Hinerman said.
