Bayless to Look for $1+ Million Cuts

They call the three scenarios “the good, the bad and the ugly,” but all three will mean significant budget reductions next year for the Bayless School District.

At Wednesday’s Bayless School Board meeting district officials discussed the cuts that would need to be made from the coming school year’s budget and the planned creation of budget reduction committees to find savings.

The three scenarios discussed call for the district to reduce its budget deficit by $1 million, $1.25 million or $1.5 million respectively. The exact figure depends on the extent of cuts to state funding coming into the district, which in turn depends on action by the Missouri legislature.

Also in play is the proposed 92 cent tax levy, which the district put on the April ballot as Proposition. If residents vote to approve the property tax increase, the district expects to take in additional revenue of $1.288 million starting next December. However this is not soon enough or large enough to spare the district from having to make some painful cuts for this coming year: even if the levy passes they will need to make at least $1 million in cuts to help stabilize district reserves.

“The passage of Proposition B will not put us in the wealthy school district category,” Superintendent Maureen Clancy-May said at the meeting.

District officials are expecting a $750,000 shortfall in state funding this year. Further, a decrease in student enrollment last year will mean an additional $500,000 loss of funding next year. The district also suffered heavy, unexpected losses when its traffic flow construction project hit a large chunk of hard limestone, delaying the work and increasing the final costs of the project significantly. Total recent construction projects have gone over budget by about $1 million.

Currently the district is running a $1.4 million budget deficit, and that is after making significant cuts over the last two years, including eliminating bus transportation in the district.

“We were able to cushion this for two years by using reserves,” School Board President Jeff Preisack said. But now the district has little room left to maneuver with.

The budget reduction process will involve gathering input from 15-member committees of teachers, principals, support staff, parents, community members and some students. Assistant Superintendent Ron Tucker said that it will be important to keep personalities out of the budget reduction process.

The committees will be given priorities and goals by the board of education, and will report their suggestions to the board in April. Orientation for the committees is set for Feb. 27.