To avoid these cuts, Linn said, a local tax increase is needed, and it would be the first major one to support school operations in about 20 years. The district’s spending has outpaced revenues from state, local and federal sources, district officials have said. Last fiscal year the district had to use about $6 million from its cash reserve fund to support the $142.5 million budget. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130313/NEWS03/303130051/Colonial-School-District-may-slash-staff-sports-cutsI know that some of my blogging contemporaries will categorize Linn's dire predictions as more bunk, the likes of sequestration, a ploy to panic the electorate into support for another referendum. I'm okay with that take. The plan does indeed seem frightening - Reductions in force (RIFs), highly moratorium on hiring for positions vacated by retiring staff, or both. Students could see the elimination of middle and 9th grade sports, reduction in travel for band and chorus groups, elimination of band and cheerleading travel to non-home games, fees for high school sports. Academically, the Governors language immersion program would be scrapped, and a plan to add technology into the classroom would have to be put on hold. The district is also looking at transportation cuts.
But, let's really put this in context - 20 years ago Colonial failed to pass a referendum. The district attempted a second referendum to stave cuts and succeeded. It's the same play today from the same playbook as yesterday. The problem: we're playing a different sport. The tax payers are poorer, more are unemployed, the economy is weaker, and the governor has been raiding the state's edu-funding every year of his terms except election year. If Colonial has to enact cuts to education programming - I put that squarely on Jack Markell's shoulders for his consistent participation in the corporate reform agenda to dismantle traditional public education for privatized profiteering.
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