Fiscal Cliff: Republicans 0 - Democrats Won
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Cuts
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Parkway School District Gives Raises Following Millions in Cuts
After cutting $8 million from the budget and eliminating 130 full-time jobs, KMOV reports that the Parkway School District gave its gave administrators and department heads raises. Watch KMOV's story here.
As previously reported by Patch, in February, the Parkway School Board voted to cut up to $9.63 million from the district's budget over the next two years. At the time, school officials blamed the depressed economy for lower revenue. According to a report by KMOV investigative reporter Craig Cheatham, the district cut $8 million of that this year and those budget cuts eliminated 130 full-time positions. (Watch Craig Cheatham's complete report on KMOV.com here.) However, Cheatham also reports that a few months after deciding on the cuts, the district gave all of its administrators and department heads pay raises, including all 70 employees making more than $100,000 a year. Parkway school officials tell Patch that vote came at the June 13 …
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Thursday, February 9, 2012
Parkway Board Unanimous In Slashing Spending
Officials said expect $9.6 million in cuts over two years; blame economy.
The Parkway School District, one of the largest in the area, moved to cut up to $9.63 million over the next two years in spending, with officials blaming the depressed economy for lower revenue. "Districts in other areas were doing this three and four years ago," Mark Stockwell, chief financial officer for Parkway, said Wednesday night.The total annual budget is about $221 million. (Read Previous Story: Parkway Board Talks District Budget Cuts Wednesday) After parents questioned the proposed cuts in reading and math specialists, and staff questioned cuts in elementary school office staff, the board agreed to two put-backs before moving ahead with a 6-0 vote in favor of cuts Wednesday night. The typically light crowd at regular school board…
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Parkway 'Report Cards' Go Electronic Next Fall, With Other Budget Cuts
Budget cuts mean streamlining costs and reducing staff.
Parkway district officials painted a gray picture Wednesday night for Parkway Board of Education directors, with specific plans to cut up to $9.6 million from the Chesterfield-based school district over the next two years. Schools Chief Financial Officer Mark Stockwell seemed to pull no punches in his prediction. "We are not yet through this economic crisis. We don't know what the following years will bring," Stockwell said. Administrators had cuts planned only for the this school year and the next, so far. "Spending down reserves is not an appropriate way to continue," said Parkway Superintendent Keith Marty. The district has been spending down its reserve funds since 2007, officials said. They blamed lower property tax and sales tax …
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Parkway Schools Move To Cut Staff, Teaching Assistants, Budgets
Ad hoc group proposes to cut up to $9.6 million from a $186 million budget.
Belt-tightening is in the future for Parkway District schools, based on the recommendations of a 22-member committee that met seven times with district Superintendent Keith Marty in November. The school board met publicly Wednesday over proposed budget cuts up to $9.6 million annually for the next two years. District CFO Mark Stockwell reported Parkway would need to reduce operating expenditures by approximately 3 - 5 percent a year, to avoid draining down district reserve funding to zero. By Patch calculations, the total district budget is about $186 million annually. The committee, made up of school principals and administrative officials, identified one area to increase revenue and six areas for cuts: Specifics reductions included: The …
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Parkway Board Talks District Budget Cuts Wednesday
The Parkway School Board is set to discuss budget cuts Monday that the superintendent says could save the district more than $9.5 million over two years.
The Parkway School Board is set to discuss budget cuts Monday that the superintendent says could save the district more than $9.5 million over two years. The plan is outlined on the Parkway School District's website. It is also posted below from the district's website. According to the site, the district must reduce expenditures by 3 to 5 percent over the next two years due to declining revenues and a projection of minimal growth for the district. According to the website, Superintendent Keith Marty said the cuts could save the district between $7.45 and $9.63 million over the next two years. Wednesday night, the below recommendations are set to be presented to the school board. The cuts include both admininstrative and teaching support …
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Will West County Fire & EMS Job Cuts Affect Service?
Three positions were eliminated this year. The fire chief says the cuts are due to the current economic climate and a new contract with Town and Country.
This year, three West County EMS and Fire Protection District positons were eliminated which resulted in three employees losing their jobs. Former Community Liason Officer Kim Bacon, who was laid off in November, tells Town and Country - Manchester Patch the layoffs are the result of a new contract the district negotiated with the City of Town and Country. West County EMS and Fire provides fire and ambulance service for Town and Country because the city does not have its own fire department. The contract, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2012, puts West County EMS at a $2.5 million loss over a period of five years, or half-a-million dollars each year. (Read Previous Story: New Fire, Ambulance Contract to Save Town and Country Millions) Last week…
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Bonnie Krueger
3:20 pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
I am sorry to see that Kim lost her job. She is among my favorite employees of West Co EMS and I think it will be a great loss for the community. I hope she finds alternate employment that is a positive change for her and her family. I great with Travist.on the politics of the matter. more ›
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
County Council Adjusts Budget to Fund Parks
The General Fund gains $350,000 in the process. The final vote is next week.
In order to save all the county parks and to keep snow plowing in unincorporated areas of St. Louis County, the St. Louis County Council voted last night to adjust four funds from the original proposed 2012 budget. County Executive Charlie Dooley had made an announcement in the previous council meetingthat a compromise was reached which saved 23 parks from closing. The General fund started out at $232,091,091 in County Executive Charlie Dooley’s original 2012 budget, which included closing the county parks. The amended amount passed last night was $232,441,091–an additional $350,000. Three department budgets saw adjustments. The council voted to pull $22,754,346 from unappropriated Park Maintenance, to go toward Parks and Recreation. The …
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Friday, December 2, 2011
Parkway Trimming 2012 - 2013 Budgets
Over the next two years, the Parkway School District plans to cut operating costs by three to five percent.
Parkway Superintendent Keith Marty announced Thursday that the Parkway School District plans to trim its budget by approximately three to five percent over the next two years. Although no specifics were given, Marty stated in an email that the district hopes to reduce operating costs for the 2012 and 2013 budgets. Marty issued the following statement introducing the issues. Although Parkway continues to be in strong financial shape, our schools are not immune to the challenges of declining revenues in a tough economy. Since 2007, Parkway's operating revenues have decreased steadily and future growth is expected to be minimal. Over the same period, our schools have worked hard to keep costs down and expenses have only grown by 2.8 percent …
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Special Committee Questions County Budget Estimates
A special budget committee met Monday to look at the 2012 recommended St. Louis County budget.
The St. Louis County Council believes the recommended budget could be more accurately estimated to close a $26 million shortfall originally projected for 2012. “We just feel with the history the way the budget is estimated that we can get through this and we’re going to have a sound, balanced budget next year,” said District 4 County Councilman Mike O’Mara. “We just think the estimates will come in in our favor to help out next year’s budget." O’Mara said he thought the budget could be balanced through attrition without majorly affecting any department— holding back on positions that are funded and not filling those positions. The county’s Chief Operating Officer Garry Earls and his department created the forecast that generates figures …
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Barbara Brown
7:52 pm on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
I don't know the full details about the elimination of so many positions, how that will effect class size, or how Parkway will be able to maintain it's position as a top notch school district. Wouldn't it be interesting to hear, from the administrators and the school board, an explanation justifying how they can give big raises in lieu of the cuts that were made. I have lived in the Parkway … more ›