Addison District 4 set to cut staff, programs

Some programs, teachers and staff members face possible elimination this month in Addison Elementary District 4 as the school board aims to trim about $1.5 million in spending from its $41 million budget.

As a result of falling property tax revenues and declining state aid, Superintendent John Langton said officials are facing tough choices such as eliminating the preschool program, rookie teachers and aides for programs like English Language Learners.

"The big question mark right now is how much we are not going to get from general state aid," Langton said.

District 4 typically receives about $1.5 million a year in state aid and a grant for low-income students of roughly $2 million. Langton said categorical grants for programs like preschool and bilingual education also are in question, so the district will eliminate all staff associated with them.

"We have to safeguard ourselves," Langton said. "If the money comes back from the state at, say, 50 percent, then we would end up hiring back 50 percent of that staff."

In total, the district projects eliminating 48 staff members at its March 23 board meeting. That includes some administrators and all first-, second- and third-year teachers in a district that serves about 4,000 students in eight schools.

Langton said the final number might change before March 23.

"We are working through this daily to make sure we don't release any more teachers than we have to," he said.

The district already notified all parents affected by the tentative decision to cancel preschool. Upset parents also have shared concerns about the district's plan to eliminate fifth-grade band and orchestra, which takes students out of class to attend lessons.

"They bring up excellent points on the many reasons a performance arts programs helps in the development of a child," Langton. said "But we are in the position of having to consider eliminating teachers and support staff just to save those programs."

Most other after-school activities might be spared, however, since the cost of paying teachers to coach and supervise outweighs the cost of eliminating the programs, Langton said. For example, the cost to pay for all coaching positions at Indian Trail Junior High is $39,000 and the cost to pay student council supervisors for all schools is $9,600.

"You have to weigh the value of those programs for many kids against one teacher that may make a classroom with 40 kids in it into two classrooms of 20 and 20," said Langton." I'm not saying 40 is acceptable, but those are the kinds of conversations we're going to have."