“I think our community will support us. They know how bad it is.” Superintendent Kelli Jacobi

School Board sees list of drastic cuts needed without a referendum

By Eileen Persike
Editor
Over $7 million in budget cuts was presented to the School District of Rhinelander (SDR) Board of Education during a special meeting Monday October 12. The cuts would be necessary if a referendum vote, tentatively planned for February, 2016, would fail. As ominous as the program cuts may appear, District Superintendent Kelli Jacobi remains optimistic.

“I think our community is going to support us because there is no fluff left,” Jacobi said. “When they look at the presentation and see over $11 million dollars in cuts in the last decade… the cuts we are looking at are program changers. We aren’t going to be able to sustain the good things going on in our schools; there is no way to do it.”

Several community members attended the meeting and were given the opportunity to address the board. District parent and staff member Neil Rumney reminded the board members that the community is listening to their comments.

“You set the tone and you’re the voice for the district,” Rumney said. “The students and staff of SDR both present and future need you to be positive and clear in these statements. And finally, we need to start a conversation with our neighbors about the referendum soon and provide them with the consequences of a yes or no vote.”

Community member Debra Durschlag, who is also a former school board member, expressed her support for the school district going to referendum, saying she is “here to support and advocate for it.”
The largest proposed cuts would be in staffing and benefits. For the younger grades that could mean much larger class sizes and elimination of intervention programs, among other things. Jacobi said today the district is able to meet individual student needs, preventing them from falling through the cracks. That would not be possible with class sizes of 35 kids.

“It’s impossible,” she continued. “All of the supports that are in place allowing teachers to do that would be gone, too. All of the fabulous things we’ve been able to implement would be unsustainable, which is devastating for our kids.”

“What we would be doing is going to a ‘fix-it’ model,” Board Vice President Judy Conlin said. “Find the kids most needy and help them.”

Elimination of Advanced Placement and foreign language classes at the high school could jeopardize Rhinelander High School’s accreditation status, all of which Jacobi says would be very detrimental to the district’s college-bound students. In fact, a likely scenario would see all electives gone, leaving only core classes.

“We know there are students coming to school who are getting a good education but they are interested in the electives, the arts, music, technology education – all of those other types of activities that are great for hands-on learners,” according to the Superintendent. “If those programs are cut then we are not offering what those kids need, either.”

Also on the chopping block includes the charter schools, both NCES and NCSS, all extra-curricular activities and some building maintenance.

“The board always wants as many options as we can come up with, because they want the final say,” Jacobi said. “I think our community will support us. They know how bad it is.”

School Board President Ron Counter said if everything listed became a reality, the open enrollment drop would be “horrendous,” as potentially hundreds of parents move their children to a neighboring district or choose online schooling. It could cost the district up to an additional $650,000 if that were to happen.

The current $4 million referendum expires in June, 2016. Based on the projected enrollment and budget, the shortfall over the next three years will average $5,489,867. District administration is recommending a $5 million referendum each year for 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. The rest of the shortfall would be taken out of the Fund Balance due to the increase in the last two years.

The information will be updated, with additional detail added, for the regular board meeting Monday, October 19 at 6:30 p.m.. A referendum resolution may come from the board at the next meeting, or in November.