Parkway Considers Cutting Another $4 Million From District Budget

The Parkway School Board is reviewing a proposal to cut approximately $4 million from the district's budget over the next two years, beginning with the 2013-2014 school school year. The district has said it needs to cut another $2-4 million, or approximately one to two percent of the district's overall operating budget, to restore its fund balance and prevent borrowing from reserves.

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"The revenues didn't come in where we thought they'd come in last year," Parkway's CFO Mark Stockwell explained.

Last February, the board voted to cut up to $9.63 million over two years and ended up cutting just under $8 million from the 2012-2013 budget. The additional $4 million now being proposed would bring the total budget cuts to between $11 and $12 million over a total of 2 to 3 years.

Stockwell gave a presentation Wednesday night to the school board on the recommended 2013-2014 budget and the proposed $4 million more in cuts. 

"Right now it looks like we would be balanced for a five year period," Stockwell explained. He points out there are still factors that could impact the district's budget, including the economy, property values and and interest rates.

Stockwell said the projected budget for the 2013-2014 school year is $217 million, which is the same as the 2012-2013 school year. He said the district actually spent $220 million for the 2011-2012 school year.

Last year the . Cuts for the 2013-2014 district budget are again being recommended in the form of jobs. Stockwell said approximately 40 full-time positions are recommended being cut, once again through attrition.

"We're going to have 40 less positions than we had this year," Stockwell said. "The bulk of the positions are not teachers."

Most will take place in the coming year, but the process could take until the 2014 - 2015 school year to complete depending on turnover and retirement.

Eighteen administrators and support positions would be cut, plus three middle school teaching positions and 12 high school teaching positions.

(View more details here.)

He said, as previously reported by Patch, 

Superintendent Keith Marty said the depressed economy and declining revenues finally caught up with the district.

"We have a plan that will indeed bring us to a much better place for the 2013-2014 school year," Marty said.

"If we make these adjustments, the emergency's over," Stockwell told board members after his presentation Wednesday night.

Community members and parents are encouraged to attend meetings later this month to hear more on the proposed 2013-2014 budget cuts and offer their input before the board votes on the cuts.

The meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the following dates. 

• Jan. 14 - North High
• Jan. 24 - West High
• Jan. 28 - South High
• Jan. 31 – Central High

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