School looks at tough budget cuts

Published 5:21 pm Friday, July 20, 2012

The high school student spoke to a room of adults and passionately described the importance of studying matter, space and energy – preferably at the college level – come this fall.

But she and other students may not get that chance if cuts to the district budget are approved.

“Please keep AP physics,” Brigid Ehrmantraut said at a public hearing last week. She was in attendance with her dad Brian and mother Moana Kutsche. “It’s kind of rare to offer that. I think, and my friends do too, that you need to keep some of these academics.”

After reductions in funding from the state and federal level and less money collected from the Maintenance and Operations levy than expected, the Orcas School District is looking at a conservative budget that eliminates eight teaching positions.

While there are also cuts in the travel and professional program budgets, the biggest change will be felt in the curriculum and maintenance. The elementary is reducing classes from nine to seven and there will be fewer teachers in the middle and high school.

The proposed budget is based on 600 students, which the board assumes is a low number. The enrollment of the 2011-12 school year was 624.

Superintendent Barbara Kline said the district is expecting “quite an increase” in OASIS enrollment, in particular. It typically has around 200 kids and there could be as many as 100 more this year. OASIS is an alternative educational program designed to help parents who want a home-school or alternative education option for their children. Most of the student body lives on the mainland and learn online.

If more than 600 kids show up for the school year, then money will go back into the curriculum. The areas deemed most important, in this order, are music, athletics and maintenance.

“The reality … is that if you go along and budget on averages and then you don’t get the money – it’s a problem,” said school business manager Keith Whitaker. “So now we’re not budgeting money unless we have it in hand.”

The final budget will be approved on July 26 during the board’s regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the school library.

Music program

Many at the meeting voiced concern about reductions to the music program. The board’s suggestion of combining the middle and high school band and strings program was not well received.

“The program would go backward,” said music teacher Martin Lund. “It would be essentially a one-room school house.”

Another solution would be to keep the groups separate but cut down the amount of time each class gets with a teacher, i.e. quality over quantity.

“Music is one of those things that’s cumulative, year after year and it builds confidence,” Kutsche said. “Combining the classes will lose kids on both ends. You have a success here with the music program – don’t blow it.”

Board member Chris Sutton thanked the audience members for “voicing passion about education, but I really encourage you to talk to your congressmen.”

Athletics program

When winter and spring sports were cut from the school district’s budget last year, the booster club began an aggressive fundraising campaign. With the help of donors and the Orcas Island Education Foundation, it was able to raise enough money for winter and spring athletics. Their target for the 2012-13 school year is $130,000. That is the base amount needed to run all of the programs.

In June, an anonymous donor gave the booster club a $10,000 matching grant to pay for fall sports. While the goal hasn’t been yet been met, the school is assuming it will be.

“I am positive the grant will be matched,” Kline said. “I have no doubt.”

Past the fall, nothing is paid for in the athletic programs. In the future, sports could be funded by Parks and Rec District, the way it is on San Juan Island.

“Right now, the writing on the wall for sports is ‘fundraise,’” said board member Janet Brownell.

School donations

To support the athletic program, donate to the Orcas Island Booster Club at www.orcasboosters.org or mail a contribution to P.O. Box 217 Olga, WA 98279.

Give to the Orcas Island Education Foundation at www.oief.org.