Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
School district budget $349,000 in the red
 |
By Chandra Johnson
The Taos Municipal School District reported that it was in a $349,000 budget deficit Wednesday night (Sept. 24) just a month into the school year.
The deficit was brought to the attention of the school board when union representative Hillary McPartlon presented the board with a letter from the staff of Taos Middle School decrying that the administration was not going to fill a computer concepts course after the teacher voluntarily transferred to Ranchos Elementary School.
McPartlon said that while it was not a union issue, she was presenting the letter to the board on behalf of the staff. The letter addressed the fact that the school had recently purchased a security glass partition at the administration building, but could not fund the teacher.
“The Taos Municipal School System has recently been able to provide additional security at the administration building and to purchase school vehicles,” the letter read. “It would be useful if funding were to be found that would directly assist the students in their progress at Taos Middle School.”
In both the letter of the staff and the letter sent home to parents explaining the situation, budget concerns were cited as the reason the position could not be filled. Taos Middle School principal Alfred Córdova told the board that with the subtraction of the class, his courses were filled to the breaking point and that almost 200 students were adversely affected by the change.
“We’ve had to reschedule 130 kids that were in that computer class,” Córdova said. “There’s no leeway in the schedule right now. If a child is eligible to take an elective course after they’ve tested proficient, we have no place to put them. Where do we put new students?”
Where did the money go?
McPartlon said that she and the staff of Taos Middle School were told by administrators that the position was not going to be refilled because budget complications.
“They said at a staff meeting that the position was not going to be filled or re-posted because there was no money for teachers in the budget,” McPartlon said. “There’s $349,000 that wasn’t funded this year because they cut seven positions. It sounds to me like an administrative failure to know what’s going on.”
When asked by the board what the source of the deficit was, human resources director Esther Winter confirmed McPartlon’s statements.
“I was asked by Ms. Trujillo and Dr. DeLong about job vacancies that came to me and Liz said that we were having trouble with some of our budget line items,” Winter told the board. “I was told not to fill the positions until we had a full picture of what was going on.”
Finance director Liz Trujillo told the school board in her report that the $349,000 hole came in when the district had to hire some more people after the seven full-time positions had not been funded because teachers had retired and had not been replaced.
“At the budget committee, we looked at the budget and decided not to fund seven full0time employees and $350,000 was subtracted,” Trujillo said. “What has happened is that this year is like the year before where we had to hire people back.”
Special meeting called
While Trujillo did not address why the district may have had to hire people back, the board decided to call a special meeting to address the deficit set for Oct. 1.
Board members Arsenio Córdova and Michael Torrez were both upset at the news, pointing out the fact that the teaching position in question was funded at the beginning of the year.
“We have crisis management going on at the schools right now,” Córdova said. “Can we imagine the disruption that going on when we transfer these students? To send a document like the budget to the state and then turn around and start cutting teachers is a crime against our students. No more cutting teachers. I won’t stand for it as a board member.”
Torrez also addressed his problems with the deficit.
“This is really disturbing to me,” Torrez said. “For next week, I’d like to see the information that’s available because I don’t want to look in November and see that we have a half a million dollar deficit.”
The deficit was brought to the attention of the school board when union representative Hillary McPartlon presented the board with a letter from the staff of Taos Middle School decrying that the administration was not going to fill a computer concepts course after the teacher voluntarily transferred to Ranchos Elementary School.
McPartlon said that while it was not a union issue, she was presenting the letter to the board on behalf of the staff. The letter addressed the fact that the school had recently purchased a security glass partition at the administration building, but could not fund the teacher.
“The Taos Municipal School System has recently been able to provide additional security at the administration building and to purchase school vehicles,” the letter read. “It would be useful if funding were to be found that would directly assist the students in their progress at Taos Middle School.”
In both the letter of the staff and the letter sent home to parents explaining the situation, budget concerns were cited as the reason the position could not be filled. Taos Middle School principal Alfred Córdova told the board that with the subtraction of the class, his courses were filled to the breaking point and that almost 200 students were adversely affected by the change.
“We’ve had to reschedule 130 kids that were in that computer class,” Córdova said. “There’s no leeway in the schedule right now. If a child is eligible to take an elective course after they’ve tested proficient, we have no place to put them. Where do we put new students?”
Where did the money go?
McPartlon said that she and the staff of Taos Middle School were told by administrators that the position was not going to be refilled because budget complications.
“They said at a staff meeting that the position was not going to be filled or re-posted because there was no money for teachers in the budget,” McPartlon said. “There’s $349,000 that wasn’t funded this year because they cut seven positions. It sounds to me like an administrative failure to know what’s going on.”
When asked by the board what the source of the deficit was, human resources director Esther Winter confirmed McPartlon’s statements.
“I was asked by Ms. Trujillo and Dr. DeLong about job vacancies that came to me and Liz said that we were having trouble with some of our budget line items,” Winter told the board. “I was told not to fill the positions until we had a full picture of what was going on.”
Finance director Liz Trujillo told the school board in her report that the $349,000 hole came in when the district had to hire some more people after the seven full-time positions had not been funded because teachers had retired and had not been replaced.
“At the budget committee, we looked at the budget and decided not to fund seven full0time employees and $350,000 was subtracted,” Trujillo said. “What has happened is that this year is like the year before where we had to hire people back.”
Special meeting called
While Trujillo did not address why the district may have had to hire people back, the board decided to call a special meeting to address the deficit set for Oct. 1.
Board members Arsenio Córdova and Michael Torrez were both upset at the news, pointing out the fact that the teaching position in question was funded at the beginning of the year.
“We have crisis management going on at the schools right now,” Córdova said. “Can we imagine the disruption that going on when we transfer these students? To send a document like the budget to the state and then turn around and start cutting teachers is a crime against our students. No more cutting teachers. I won’t stand for it as a board member.”
Torrez also addressed his problems with the deficit.
“This is really disturbing to me,” Torrez said. “For next week, I’d like to see the information that’s available because I don’t want to look in November and see that we have a half a million dollar deficit.”
 |
 |
|
| McCain may back out of first debate | Tai Chi in Taos Plaza: Complex and simple |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
The Taos News requires all commenters to register before posting comments. It's quick, it's easy, and it's free! Just fill in the information below to get started!
Your privacy & trust is important to us. The registration information we request is secure and for the use of The Taos News only & will not be given to any third party in any way. Your Member ID is the only part of this information that will appear on your comment posting. Any violation of our conduct policy will result in the suspension of your registration.
Already a Member?Login Here:
|
Become a Registered MemberWhen you register, you will get an email confirming your registration. Please read the email & click the link provided. This confirms your registration and you can post comments. If you do not respond, you will not be registered and unable to comment on stories. If you have SPAM filters, please add registration@taosnews.com to your address book or filter to ensure you get this email. |
golfrock wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:23 PM: