Annie Goeller, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer

To make up for a nearly $3 million budget shortfall, Franklin schools will eliminate up to 41 positions, including teachers and administrators, make cuts to supplies and energy costs and spend some of its savings.

With a few minor changes, school board members unanimously approved the proposed reductions to cut nearly 9 percent of the district's $31.4 million general fund budget, which pays salaries, utilities and other operating costs.

The plan includes laying off six administrators and 15 other school employees and eliminating up to 20 teaching positions, likely mostly through early retirements, to make up for the budget shortfall this school year.

The district also cut supply costs, reduced benefits for administrators and is shutting off parking lot lights and removing printers from teachers' classrooms to save in other areas.

To round off the rest of the $2.8 million in cuts, the district will spend $777,000 from its savings.

Now, a committee is being formed to study the changes and develop a plan to transition into the next school year, when fewer teachers will be in the classrooms, three assistant principals and other administrators will be let go and schedules could be adjusted at the high school, middle school and intermediate school.

That transition is key after the cuts, school board member Darren Thompson said.

"I just want to reiterate the necessity of a transition. Now is the time when little things slip through the cracks and people get frustrated," Thompson said.

Fewer teachers than expected will need to be laid off after 17 people agreed to an early retirement incentive and teachers agreed to no raises this school year.

But the district still will lose as many as 20 teachers, which could mean larger class sizes.

Exactly how many teachers will be laid off won't be known for a few months, as officials continue to study the district's financial situation.

'That one hurts'

School board members raised concerns about some of the cuts, including the decision to eliminate two elementary school assistant principal positions.

That cut was the one school board members heard about most, and a smooth transition is important, Thompson said.

"That one hurts to do and it hurts a great deal for the students," he said.

Thompson also raised a concern about safety when the district shuts off parking lot lights early and suggested they pay attention to when activities are going on in schools and keep the lights on.

The staff cuts were the most discussed topic on the list of reductions.

School board members said the cuts would be painful but that they were necessary.

"None of these positions are luxuries or unnecessary, but unfortunately we don't have the money, and something has to give," school board member John Wales said.

Early retirements

In the coming months, school officials will get a better idea of who will be leaving the school district and how that should be handled, Superintendent David Clendening said.

One of the top goals is to keep classroom sizes as small as possible, he said.

Already, the district has gotten notice from 17 teachers who plan to take advantage of an early retirement offer, which pays $20,000 to each teacher to cover health insurance costs under the school's plan until they reach age 65 and could be eligible for Medicare, said Jeff Mercer, director of business and operations.

The list of retirees included elementary, intermediate, middle and high school teachers with between 22 and 43 years of experience.

School officials will have to decide how best to handle the loss of that many experienced teachers, Clendening said.

A total of 20 teachers will need to be let go to handle the budget shortfall. The district had been looking at 24 positions, but removed four from the list of reductions when the teachers union agreed to a contract with no raises for this school year.

'Need to move forward'

Some of the other staff cuts are known, including administrators, classroom and office assistants, and maintenance workers.

But the teachers who will be let go won't be known until May, after officials study the district's finances for the next two months and also review seniority lists and classroom makeup, Clendening said.

The transition won't be easy, but the district and community must work together, including with the transition committee that will begin meeting this week, he said.

"The entire school district wishes things would not have happened and this would not have been necessary. Unfortunately, it was, and now we need to move forward," Clendening said.