Final St. Charles school staff cuts set for review

St. Charles schools chief Don Schlomann said he will propose Monday cutting four administrative positions from District 303's central office in an effort to trim annual costs by about $500,000.

If supported by the school board, the high-paying jobs would be eliminated in two to three years instead of immediately, he said, in an attempt to avoid layoffs.

Schlomann said the plan, which will be outlined at the board's regular meeting, should be the last round of cuts proposed as part of an administrative restructuring he began almost immediately upon being hired in July.

He said he's trying to save precious tax dollars -- and lessen the amount of administrative bureaucracy -- while shifting decision-making closer to the classroom.

"Every organization is looking at flattening its organizational structure," he said. In District 303, "All of us, including myself, are going to have to pick up some of these duties to get it all done."

The district already spends less on administration than most districts in Illinois, according to Illinois State Board of Education data. In fact, in 2005-06, only 22 of Illinois' 874 districts dedicated a smaller percentage to administration than the St. Charles district.

Schlomann wants to eliminate two "area assistant superintendent" jobs now held by John Baird and Ron Knapik, who are collectively paid about $300,000 a year. Their responsibilities of supervising principals at all 17 schools would be added to the duties of assistant superintendents in the human resources, learning and teaching, student services and business offices.

Schlomann also proposes cutting one curriculum administrator and one business administrator, saving about $200,000 a year.

The superintendent said he is asking the school board for an informal sign of support so he can begin preparing for the cuts, which he hopes will happen through attrition.

"My expectation is there will be some retirements and people leaving the district in that (two- to three-year) period, so I will be able to shuffle positions without laying anyone off," he said.

Knapik, who already planned to retire at the end of this school year, said he has confidence in Schlomann.

"I believe in what he does and his decision-making," he said. "This is one of the things that occurs with organizational change. To put a little perspective on it though, from my eyes, it looks a little different than if I was staying here another 10 years."

Asked whether he has any concerns over the proposed cuts, Knapik alluded to the additional workload some offices will experience. "We (area assistant superintendents) spend a lot of time here. We're involved in a lot of different things on a lot of different levels."

School board President Kathy Hewell said she thinks the board is likely to support the proposed changes.

"I think board members are on board with (Schlomann's) vision," she said. "It's consistent with his stated initiative to have more resources going to the classroom, rather than the administration."

Schlomann also is looking for direction on what to do with the district's community relations director position. It has been vacant since the district hired a consulting firm to head up communications as part of an ongoing "community engagement" process, which is expected to wrap up this fall.

Schlomann said he continues to battle the perception that St. Charles District 303 is a "big district" when he sees it as more "medium sized" with less of a need for dozens of administrators.

He said removing some of the ranks between the classroom and his office should make for a more "personal" system. As an example, he said more teachers will have a say in decisions involving things such as curriculum development.

"These are the individuals who are in the classroom and know better than anyone else the impact," he said. "We're going to be more hands-on, just with fewer people."

Last month, the school board approved Schlomann's recommendation to cut all 10 "instructional coordinator" jobs at East and North high schools and replace them with "master teachers."

That effort drew harsh criticism from staff, who claimed it was poorly researched and short on specifics. They also complained they were unfairly left out of the decision-making.

In drafting the latest round of cuts, Schlomann said he consulted several assistant superintendents, including those who stand to lose their jobs. He said the biggest concern he's heard has to do with creating an additional workload for some offices.

"There's always the fear you're going to have too much work … but I think we can get it done," he said. "The intent here is to do our best job providing the most efficient service to our community and schools."

The savings, he said, likely will be used to offset the cost of numerous capital projects the district previously hasn't had enough money to fund, such as facilities needs.