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K-6 Ellendale; 7-12 New Richland
NRHEG school board cuts budget by $400,000
Published Thursday, March 19, 2009
NEW RICHLAND — The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva school board voted unanimously Monday on a series of cuts to the district’s budget totaling a little more than $400,000.
Superintendent Kevin Wellen said the biggest change the district will see is a change to its building configurations.
Currently, kindergarten through fourth grade are in both Ellendale and New Richland, at Ellendale Elementary and New Richland Elementary respectively. NRHEG Middle School is in Ellendale, and NRHEG High School is in New Richland.
With the change approved Monday, all students in kindergarten through sixth grade will attend school in Ellendale, while all students in seventh through 12th grade will attend school in New Richland, Wellen said.
The configuration alone will save the district more than $200,000, he said.
Wellen said the school board and the community has been reviewing potential cuts — a minimum of $350,000 and an optimum of $450,000 — for two or three months.
Town meetings were held on March 2 and 3 in Ellendale and New Richland, during which almost 100 people showed up each night to voice their input, he said.
The cuts were not quick decisions but were given much thought, he said.
In addition to the change in building configurations, the board also voted to increase athletic fees from $35 to $50 per student in the junior high level and $50 to $85 per student in the senior high level, Wellen said. The maximum per family in athletic fees was raised from $175 to $210.
Other changes include reducing classroom supplies by 20 percent for a $20,000 savings and reducing a half-time special education position for about $12,000 in savings after reimbursement from the state.
There will be cuts to part-time positions in elementary computer and physical education staff, a half-time family and consumer science position, one clerical position, one custodial position, and one part-time building administrator.
The district will pursue pairing its gymnastics program with Waseca for a cost savings of about $5,000, will reduce a small amount of summer band for the middle school-age kids for a savings of $2,000, and will re-evaluate coaching assignments with an anticipated savings of $3,000.
All of the cuts will go into effect at the start of the 2009-10 school year, except for the change to the summer band, which will go into effect this summer.
Wellen said he also presented the idea of sharing a superintendent with another district, but the board did not give their support for that idea.
“The biggest thing was figuring out a way to get those elementary classes at one site,” Wellen said. “That was the bulk of it.”
He said coming up with the list of recommended cuts was “definitely not easy.”
There were about 30 people in attendance at the Monday meeting, where the norm is generally less than 10, he said.
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Comments
Posted by disturbed (anonymous) on March 19, 2009 at 1:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What Mr. Wellen forgot to say is that the board gave him a raise in this time of crisis for the school district, and that he accepted this. And with everything going on at the school district that he spent last week in Mexico. He belongs with the CEO's from AIG.
Posted by chasm (anonymous) on March 19, 2009 at 1:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That is sad to hear, I attended New Richland in my elementry years, there are lots of great teachers there and a nice atmosphere. I wonder how the jobs are going to be picked between the two schools?
Posted by tbanderson (anonymous) on March 19, 2009 at 1:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I heard about this raise; apparently he's making more than those in the bigger school districts!
Posted by gardenmama (anonymous) on March 19, 2009 at 3:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps he should give half of his raise back like the AIG people are supposed to be doing or ordered to do.
Posted by tulips (anonymous) on March 19, 2009 at 10:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What has the school board done through all of this? Do they give the supt. whatever he asks for without question? (Such as his large salary increase) I've heard that this was "shoved through" without a whole lot of thought. When the teachers bargain for a salary increase, (as all districts are doing this year) will the board be as willing to give them an equal pay increase as they were with the supt.? That district has had a lot of open enrollment. Wonder how many they will lose because their class sizes will increase to the sizes they have in Albert Lea.
Posted by brats00 (anonymous) on March 20, 2009 at 5:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think you all have covered the topic well, CEO'S of AIG is exactly what he is. I say he gives it all back. How can he and that school board be so in tune to themselves and not to the needs of students in this district. Regardless if hundreds of concerned parents show up.. they do what they want any way. Oh, and by the way WHO DOES THE SCHOOL BOARD WORK FOR. The tax payers or Wellen? Maybe , once again the right people weren't voted in!
Posted by Frank_and_Uncle_Sam (anonymous) on April 20, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I dislike anonymous comments so I'll identify myself as Frank Whitcomb, an NRHEG teacher serving on active duty.
Yes, open door meetings were held and these decisions were difficult for one person to make. Even though I have been gone over two months, the suggestions I emailed to Mr. Wellen were never replied to. I assume he received them, but I don't know.
Summer band cuts? First I've heard of them. In fact, we targeted my return to work based upon the summer band dates. I suggested we reduce the summer band program to two weeks for the middle school and move the beginning band lessons to community education as a paid course of instruction, thus shifting some costs but keeping things going and affordable to everyone. But again, I heard no reply.
Maybe this is the plan. I'm guessing from Mr. Wellin's remarks that only the beginning band lessons are being offered as before- I don't know and I suspect that my long-term sub was never consulted either.
Communication, or the lack thereof, is an ongoing problem at our school. At least, "Got your email and will think about it," is better than no response at all.
Oh, and my fellow teachers, please at least acknowledge each email we receive as a courtesy. Don't let others guess if you received it or not.
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