The Crawfordsville Community School Corporation on Thursday night was forced to make some painful cuts to its general operating fund, including the decision to reduce its teaching force by at least 16 employees and close Beard Learning Center.
These decisions, said Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Steele to a crowd of more than 60 people, were not easy. They were made after months of discussion, and a firm belief among board members that educational programs should be the last to fall at the expense of a shrinking budget.
"The fact is, our school corporation must cut our budget by over a million dollars," Steele told the crowd. "People are here tonight because it affects them, in one way or another. And, because the income is not coming in, we are hurt."
Steele said the budget cuts are a result of changes to legislature and the way individuals and communities are taxed, as well as an economic turndown.
Thus far, the school board has spared adult education and the annual fifth-grade camping trip, though board president Dale Petrie said the camping trip could be the next casualty should the state mandate more cuts. Regarding adult education, the board voted unanimously to close Beard Learning Center, where the majority of adult education takes place. The programs will be moved to other facilities; however, the board also voted on the provision that the programs will be forced to stay within budget. Currently, adult education is costing the school corporation about $130,000 more than what is budgeted.
Closing Beard will save about $82,000 in building costs, but there are more cuts to be made before the programs break even.
© 2024 The Paper of Montgomery County