School board to start considering teacher, program cuts tonight

Published 12:00 am Monday, December 3, 2001

The process of cutting the school’s budget begins tonight, as the Albert Lea School Board hears a resolution to discontinue and cut programs and positions.

Monday, December 03, 2001

The process of cutting the school’s budget begins tonight, as the Albert Lea School Board hears a resolution to discontinue and cut programs and positions.

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The district will also hear more information on proposed busing cuts and may take action on a policy change that would force more students to find their own way to school.

The district is expected to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in cuts because declining enrollment has hurt the school’s budget and because, administrators say, state funding has been insufficient. A 10-year excess-levy referendum that would have approved around $1.7 million in the first year year was defeated by voters in November.

The busing cuts would increase the radius around the districts schools in which students are not allowed to take the bus. Currently, the radius is two miles for high school students, 1.5 miles for junior high students and one mile for elementary students. The school may change it to two miles for all students.

Those who still want to take the bus would be able to do so by paying their own way.

The district’s first step will be to identify the amount of money that must be cut from the budget. Early estimates said the number could be around $1 million.

After the board agrees on a figure, it will choose specific programs and teachers to be cut.