$2 Million in Proposed Budget Cuts Unveiled at Champiagn School Board Meeting

A proposal to cut $2.2 million from next year's Champaign School District budget would eliminate jobs and reduce programs. But Unit Four officials say the cuts are necessary to keep the district's finances healthy.

The proposed spending reductions include the elimination of some teachers and teachers' aide positions, cuts in athletics, and the end of summertime Drivers Ed. The reductions would only cover part of a Unit Four budget deficit that has grown over the past three years to $3.9 million. But Chief Financial Officer Gene Logas told the Unit 4 School Board Monday night that there's just not much more they can cut.

"If there's anyone sitting there thinking tonight that there ought to be three or four million dollars of fat (in the budget), and it ought to be easy to present the Board of Education with that kind of a list, you're deceiving yourself", said Logas.

Logas says the rest of the funding gap would be covered by working cash bonds, a reduction in the district's fund balance, and a new fee for extra-curricular activities.

School Board President Dave Tomlinson says he was particularly concerned by a proposal to save $300,000 at the high school level by cutting six full-time positions.

"We all are concerned that we set our high schools up for success", says Tomlinson. "So, generally speaking, we're going to look at every cut in detail, and make sure we're doing it appropriately and with the least possible interruptions in the classroom."

Unit 4 School board members will review the cuts over the next six weeks before taking a final vote in March. They voiced misgivings about some of the proposals last night, but did not question the need to cut spending.