Chris Morris, The Evening News

Wendy Moody hopes no news is good news.

The Galena Elementary School PTO president gave a list of reasons Monday night to the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidate School Corp. Board of Trustees why Galena should not be closed due to budget cuts. She referenced the 10 years the school has been named a Four-Star School and the quality of education given to the students at Galena.

“There are just so many rumors and speculation going around,” Moody said.. “I try not to take it to heart.”

Moody said she has not heard from NA-FC Superintendent Bruce Hibbard who plans on talking to PTO presidents, teachers and administrators before Thursday’s announcement on how the corporation plans on cutting $6.6 million from its budget.

Gov. Mitch Daniels announced in December of last year that the state was cutting $300 million in school funding beginning in January. While corporations are using reserves to get through the rest of the current school year, more permanent cuts will have to be made before the start of the 2010-11 school year. Those cuts will be announced Thursday.

After Hibbard makes the announcement, a public hearing will be held March 8 before the board of trustees votes on the recommendations March 11.

There are many rumors of layoffs and school closings circulating in the community since the announcement was made. However, no decisions on final cuts have been released.

“The entire community will be impacted,” said NA-FC Assistant Superintendent Brad Snyder. “It’s difficult to balance the economic reality with the needs of kids and the needs, wants and wishes of adults.”

The 4.55 percent cut in state funds equals $6.6 million. In order to get close to that amount, 57 line items in the NA-FC School Corp. budget will have to be cut. After the cuts, the corporation’s budget will be at $66 million which is at 2006 levels.

However, Hibbard hopes the cuts will make the corporation fitter and more productive.

He would not give specifics, but said keeping a strong teaching force intact was his top priority.

“I think we will be better next year,” said Hibbard, who said the budget cuts will include getting rid of split level classes and having smaller class sizes.

Under one option, for the corporation to cut $6.6 million, 62 teachers would have to be laid off along with 45 classified employees and five administrators. That, however, was not an option for Hibbard and the administrative team, he said.

A second option would be to go to the public with a tax referendum. But Hibbard said this was not the time to do that. Which brings the corporation to option three which will be announced Thursday.

Last year, the Resources for Results committee recommended two schools — Silver Street and Pine View — be closed, but no action was taken. Many believe at least two buildings, or more, will be closed when the cuts are announced.

Moody hopes Galena is not one of those buildings.

“I love our school,” she said. “We have a great school family.”

The NA-FC School Corp. is the 15th largest in the state with 11,000 students.

“As I talk to people in the community, I think they know something is going to happen,” Hibbard said. “It’s a disheartening time to be a school administrator.”