School leaders in Kirtland applauded

Most people don’t like the prospect of paying higher taxes that result from passage of levy issues put on the ballot by local government entities.

But a lot of people also express displeasure over the actions of those same government entities in dealing with the financial consequences stemming from levies being voted down.

This conundrum was illustrated after Kirtland Schools voters rejected a levy on May 8, and subsequent efforts by the district’s superintendent and School Board to construct and approve a 2018-19 budget before the start of a new fiscal year on July 1.

If passed, that 5.9-mill levy would have generated $1.9 million annually and prevented the district from operating with a deficit budget.

Over the course of nearly two months, Superintendent Bill Wade recommended, and the board approved, a variety of personnel cuts and fee increases to help keep the district on solid financial ground, leading up to passage of the 2018-19 budget on June 18. Although district residents might not like some of the fiscal measures approved by the board, we believe that members of the panel, and the superintendent, conducted a thorough review of options and communicated clearly about why these steps were taken.

At the June 18 School Board meeting, prior to passage of the budget, Wade presented a comprehensive report, with visuals on a large screen that made it easier to follow, about what costs cuts and fee increases would be going into effect.

He also explained the financial impact of each decision.

One of the new fiscal policies that prompted the most reaction from the meeting audience was the decision to charge activity fees for high school and middle school sports and marching band camp.

These fees will take effect at the start of the 2018-19 school year.

The high school athletic activity fee will $140 per sport, per student.

Wade said that this decision was made after researching the subject.

“We did look at a lot of teams in our league and other schools in Lake County that have fees … and we feel that this is very comparable and actually below what the current average is for high schools in our area,” he said.

At the middle-school level, because of shorter seasons and fewer coaches, the athletic activity fee will be $90 per sport, per student.

One woman in the audience asked if the board looked at alternatives to athletic activity fees. School Board Vice President Thomas Meyer offered a thoughtful response to that inquiry.

“I think it’s fair to say we looked at a number of schools and what kind of programs they had and tried to pick the pieces and parts that would fit best for our district,” Meyer said. “In terms of other considerations, other things to cut instead of adding this fee, certainly a lot of things were considered. I think we tried, as Mr. Wade said, to preserve the opportunities for the kids while imposing fees, while also preserving the excellence in the classrooms. “Looking at athletics on a stand-alone basis and alternatives ignores a very, very large picture of everything that happens here, including the academics, which is what we are in business for.”

We liked how residents, the board and Wade engaged in honest and open dialogue at the meeting about the district’s financial situation.

Perhaps some of those residents didn’t go away happy about the decisions that were made, but they’d have to admit that Wade and board members made an earnest effort to answer their questions and provide clear explanations.

As for personnel cuts, the School Board at a meeting in May agreed to reduce the teaching staff by 3.5 positions and eliminate three bus drivers. At that same session, they voted to cut three athletic coaching positions. The district will not be filling two middle school football coaching positions and one high school track coaching position in 2018-19.

During the June 18 meeting, the board also approved a resolution to freeze the salaries of district administrators and supervisors for the 201819 school year. That move will save the district $10,800.

In addition, the board agreed to reduce a full-time accounts payable position to part-time, resulting in savings of almost $26,000.

Clearly, the levy failure produced some unpleasant outcomes that were needed for the School Board to put together a fiscally sound budget for 2018-19.

With the requirement to have a new budget in place by July 1, Kirtland School Board didn’t have any alternatives but to make difficult financial decisions.

They did that, and should be commended for their fortitude.