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Log inAUGUSTA: CLOSING SCHOOL POSSIBLE OPTION
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AUGUSTA: CLOSING SCHOOL POSSIBLE OPTION
by Outspoken on Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:15 am
AUGUSTA: CLOSING SCHOOL POSSIBLE OPTION
BY MATTHEW STONE
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA -- The city might close Hussey Elementary School or Hodgkins Middle School, lay off 25 to 30 employees, eliminate some academic programs or cut extracurricular activities in the coming year.
That was Augusta schools Superintendent Cornelia Brown's message to Board of Education members Wednesday night as officials began plotting how schools would grapple with an expected $1.5 million to $2 million shortfall next school year.
"Everything's on the table," board chairman William Burney said in an interview. "We're not immune from the international financial dilemma we're in."
Two months into the current school year, the district has already instituted a spending freeze in an effort to save $600,000, Brown said. The move curbs new spending on travel and professional development and prevents new purchases.
The district might find the budgetary outlook worsening as Gov. John Baldacci prepares to issue a spending curtailment order in the coming days. The state is facing revenue projections that have fallen $110 million to $150 million below earlier expectations.
"We were hoping early on for flat funding for next year," Brown said. "If you run a business, you know your costs are never static."
State agencies are submitting plans for budget cuts to the governor this week. The Department of Education will assume nearly $55 million of those cuts, Education Commissioner Susan Gendron told superintendents on Monday.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5579068.html
BY MATTHEW STONE
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA -- The city might close Hussey Elementary School or Hodgkins Middle School, lay off 25 to 30 employees, eliminate some academic programs or cut extracurricular activities in the coming year.
That was Augusta schools Superintendent Cornelia Brown's message to Board of Education members Wednesday night as officials began plotting how schools would grapple with an expected $1.5 million to $2 million shortfall next school year.
"Everything's on the table," board chairman William Burney said in an interview. "We're not immune from the international financial dilemma we're in."
Two months into the current school year, the district has already instituted a spending freeze in an effort to save $600,000, Brown said. The move curbs new spending on travel and professional development and prevents new purchases.
The district might find the budgetary outlook worsening as Gov. John Baldacci prepares to issue a spending curtailment order in the coming days. The state is facing revenue projections that have fallen $110 million to $150 million below earlier expectations.
"We were hoping early on for flat funding for next year," Brown said. "If you run a business, you know your costs are never static."
State agencies are submitting plans for budget cuts to the governor this week. The Department of Education will assume nearly $55 million of those cuts, Education Commissioner Susan Gendron told superintendents on Monday.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5579068.html
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
