Story posted Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Clubs, Substitutes Affected By Planned Dist. 207 Cuts
By DWIGHT ESAU Journal & Topics Reporter
This is the second in a Journal series of reports on High School District 207's $15 million cost-reduction plan for the school year 2010-11. This report focuses on proposed reductions in non-athletic, intramural, and extra curricular activities, special programs, and substitute teaching.
District 207 staff proposes to cut $750,000 from extra-curricular club, intramural, and special programs (including stipends), and substitute teaching support.
Here is a list of the first phase proposals totaling $437,000 in reductions, which will be considered by the board of education on Feb. 2.
* Reduce the substitute teacher pay to $95 per day from $105, for a saving of $114,000.
* Reduce intramural supervisor positions from 46 to 26 at each of the district's three high schools, for a saving of $60,000. (This does not eliminate the intramurals, it simply shifts supervisory responsibility to other staff).
* Eliminate lead teacher activities in fine arts and foreign language, for a saving of more than $41,000. This does not eliminate a teaching position, it simply cuts out the lead teacher activities from two positions).
* Reduce substitute teacher utilization for teacher releases involving professional development activities, for a saving of $40,000.
* Pay a portion of certified salary from the Career and Technical Education Improvement (CTEI) grant, saving $40,000.
* Reduce expenses in the debate program at Maine East High School (affecting travel primarily), for a saving of $14,000.
* Eliminate the COACH (peer tutoring) program at Maine South, to save $19,500.
* Reduce the COACH tutor positions at West, and stipends from $1,500 to $1,000 at East and West, to save 21,000.
* Eliminate speech assistant coach position at each school, to save $8,205.
* Suspend building mentor coordinators for the 2010-11 school year, a one-year saving of $7,400.
* Eliminate one jazz band director stipend at West and South, to save $6,846.
* Reduce West speech transportation, for a saving of $6,600.
* Reduce Attendance Review Board (ARB) coordinators from a .6 release to a .4 release, with the saving included in certified staff reductions. These are certified staff members who are currently released from teaching classes three periods a day to oversee attendance in the buildings. This proposal would drop the release time to two classes.
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