LACEY – Fifth-grade band and orchestra will be saved under North Thurston’s newest budget reduction proposal.
District officials had considered cutting the program to save $135,000, but parents showed support for the program, so the district will instead look for efficiencies in scheduling the band and orchestra teachers, said spokeswoman Courtney Schrieve.
The board reviewed a proposal of $4.8 million in cuts to the district’s 2009-10 budget. Districts throughout the state face budget cuts because of shortfalls in state funding to public schools.
Other proposals include:
• Eliminating the Talented and Gifted program for first grade.
• Raising high school athletic fees from $75 a sport to $100 a sport. The football fee would be $125.
• Raising middle school athletic fees from $40 a year to $60 a year.
• Reducing full-time librarians at the middle schools.
• Increasing lunch prices by 25 cents.
• Eliminating food reimbursements for teachers, administrators and other adults who are traveling or at meetings.
• Lowering the temperature of the district’s pools and pool buildings, which one respondent suggested could save $36,000.
There will also be a reduction of 26.5 full-time equivalent teachers throughout all the grades, but that will be reached through retirements, resignations and the non-renewal of one-year contracts, so layoffs will not be necessary, Schrieve said.
Other staff reductions include eight administrators or supervisors, one office professional at each of the middle and high schools, a mechanic and 3.5 full-time equivalent custodians.
The school board will consider adoption of the budget reductions at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the district office, 305 College St. N.E., Lacey.
Venice Buhain is the education reporter at The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com.
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