When education is threatened, community members will stand up to protect it at any cost.
At least that was the impression when more than 100 people showed up at the Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees meeting.
The 109 teachers, students, parents and other community members stormed the meeting Monday in the name to protect two full-time teaching positions across CCSD 2. Pending cuts threatened a half-time art teacher in Encampment, a full-time position at Saratoga Elementary School and a half-time position at Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Junior/Senior High School.
Early March, after Encampment School art teacher Pam Kraft submitted her letter of resignation, she became aware she was going to be replaced with a half-time teacher, meaning the award-winning art program at Encampment School would be down-sized.
Superintendent Bob Gates was prompted to hold a public meeting designed to explain the school district’s budget.
“I wish we lived in a world where we didn’t have to sometimes make these choices,” Gates said in Thursday’s meeting. “But as you know, when you deal with your own budgets, sometimes you got to choose between certain things.”
Gates presented the school district’s budget to the audience and attempted to explain why the cuts needed to be made.
Gates said the budget is directly affected by enrollment, which has been slowly declining during the past four or five years.
“The bottom line is our costs are going up greater than our revenue,” Gates said. “All we are trying to do is keep up with expenses.”
Community members soon started asking questions and discovered the school board planned to cut at least $120,000 dollars out of the general budget, or one and a half teaching positions. Community members later learned the school district planned on cutting $160,000, or two full-time teaching positions.
Near the end of Thursday’s meeting, former house representative of District 47 Jeb Steward suggested community members form a committee and work with the school district to find cuts elsewhere.
“It would seem to make sense to take some time and sit down with a group of teachers and people interested in being involved,” Thad York told Gates Thursday.
Thirteen community members formed the committee Thursday night and plans to meet at 3:45 p.m. March 26 to look at alternatives to cutting teachers.
Monday’s meeting gathered a larger crowd, wanting to work with school board members to save art. The school board allowed a public comment session, but limiting two minutes per person .
Kraft was the first to speak to the board and audience Monday.
“I do not pretend to understand the complexities of the school district’s budget, but I have been told by those who are better versed in these matters cutting positions is the most convenient and obvious, but not the only solution,” she said.
After several other students, teachers and parents spoke to the board, House District 47 Representative and former CCSD 2 principal Jerry Paxton addressed the board.
“As a former principal, I know the pain of trying to cut school budgets, but I submit to you that the very last thing you should look at is personnel,” Paxton said. “That is what makes a school and a school district.”
Paxton also urged school boards not to cut elective classes like art or band.
“Those are the classes kids want to come to school for and keep kids in school,” Paxton said. “I think that as you start cutting elective programs, you’ll see that the drop-out rate goes up in direct proportion.”
Later during public comment, Steward addressed the board and audience talking strictly about the budget.
“Your problems, board and Mr. Chairman, are not related to an art program in Encampment. Your problems are not related to a librarian in Saratoga and further, your problems are not related to a counselor in Hanna. Further, your problems are not related to declining enrollment or the absence of receiving an ECA this year,” Steward told the board. “Your problem is the proper allocation of resources.”
Steward presented an argument identifying where cuts could be made in the district’s $15 million budget. Steward said the district would have to make a 1 percent cut in other areas to compensate the $160,000 needed to relieve all personnel cuts.
As Steward continued his speech, Bartlett informed him he had exceeded his two minutes. Audience members begans shouting “you can have my two minutes,” allowing Steward to finish.
Steward finished his speech with two demands of the school board. One: allow time for the new committee to meet. Two: allow the committee to grow and gain more representation from Saratoga and Hanna.
The school board voted unanimously to wait before approving budget cuts to allow the new committee time to gather information and help identify other places to cut.
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