USD 489 is continuing to evaluate the school district’s tight budget, and there has been discussion of future job cuts. But, Superintendent Dean Katt told Hays Post that he’s confident there’s no need for people to worry about staff reduction, at least for this school year.
“We are going to look at all options. We’re a long ways from having to make that kind of decision. I think that we will find money in the budget and if the board will use contingency reserve funds, I’m confident we’ll be able to get through this year without making big cuts.”
Katt added that he and other staff continue to discover significant cost savings from within the district that could provide the needed financial cushion. He said the district is helping save money by improving man hour utilization, work efficiency, and purchasing practices. Personnel are also being asked to limit non-essential overtime and expenditures.
The district could also save a great deal of money through energy efficiency, but as Katt pointed out, it takes a significant monetary investment to make the needed changes. While it may be something that’s looked at more closely in the future, he says the district simply doesn’t have the money to make such an investment at this time.
Another area where the district could save money is by changing the student transportation radius. Currently, USD 489 is only reimbursed for transporting students that live more than 2.5 miles from school, which means all students living closer than that are being transported at the district’s expense. Katt emphasized that he’s not suggesting that changing this policy is a good idea, but there is a potential cost savings there.
Katt estimates that the budget for the 2014-2015 school year will be prepared some time mid-January. At that point, he plans on meeting with principals to determine where any needed funds can be made up. Until then, he says that people should be aware of how the budget is looking.
“We’re still in the process of going through it. I don’t want people just to totally panic, but everybody needs to understand that the budget is tight and we’re going to have to do what we can, to be as conservative as we possibly can, until we know exactly what we’re going to have to cut.”