HUTCHINSON, Kan. – USD 308 Superintendent, Dr. Shelly Kiblinger released information Wednesday evening on how a proposal by the Kansas Senate would effect the budget of the Hutchinson School District.
They state, after “hundreds of paper cuts,” a proposal from the Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee this week could bleed money from the Hutchinson Public Schools budget at a much greater rate.
“Since the Great Recession, USD 308 and other schools have endured a slow death by hundreds of paper cuts – that is, we’ve endured repeated, small cuts to our operating budgets that already weren’t increasing at the rate of inflation,” said USD 308 Superintendent Dr. Shelly Kiblinger. “We understood the cuts from the Great Recession but expected our budgets to heal during the better years.
“That healing has not taken place. In fact, the Senate Ways and Means proposal represents a knife wound to our budget, one that comes at a time when the vast majority of our resources have been spent for the year.”
The current Senate committee proposal would cost the district a 5 percent cut of $1,298,227. If that were reduced to a 2 percent cut, the cost to the district would be $519,291 while a 1 percent cut would be $259,645.
The Kansas Senate is expected to take up the bill Thursday.
Already this year, the district reduced a track of classes at McCandless Elementary School to save an estimated $350,000 for the current fiscal year because legislative action provided no new classroom funds for the 2016-17 budget and did not provide any relief from inflation.
For the 2015-16 school year, block grants approved by the 2015 Legislature essentially froze general state aid at 2014-15 levels and then reduced that amount by 0.4 percent to redistribute to schools with extraordinary needs.
Again, the district made cuts to provide raises for staff and pay for increased fixed costs, such as utilities and insurance.
“I appreciate the monumental task legislators have ahead of them,” Dr. Kiblinger said. “The budget hole was dug in previous years. However, they need to continue to work on solutions to find a way to keep their promise to Kansas kids.”
At this point in the school year, the vast majority of expenses have been incurred in the district. Reductions at this point in the year would impact summer maintenance, spending planned to enhance student safety and needed technology replacements. The cuts also would damage the long-term plans of the district and its financial position.
“Anything we cut now will have a direct impact on our ability to provide a safe, quality learning experience for students,” the superintendent said.
The Senate committee has suggested taking the cuts out of district’s “flexible funds,” but these funds typically are savings accounts for large, periodic purchases – such as textbooks – or emergencies – such as replacing roofs after a hailstorm. To reduce costs in a previous budget cut, the district changed its insurance plan and now faces a large deductible each time it files a claim for storm damage.
“I hope parents and supporters of public education will reach out to legislators and let them know the importance of allowing schools to operate this year with the budgets we were promised in June,” Dr. Kiblinger said. “Because the Senate is taking up the plan Thursday, we would ask patrons to make their wishes known by contacting their senators tonight or Thursday.”
Again, this information coming directly from the Hutchinson School District.