SWITZ CITY --Nine White River Valley School Corporation teacher have received reduction force notices due to a less than optimistic financial forecast, the school board learned on Thursday night.
Supt. Layton Wall said he was originally hopeful that no RIFs would have to be issued this school year, but budgetary shortfalls make the anticipated cuts necessary.
A couple of major factors weighed into his decision to recommend decreasing the teaching staff.
The November tax draw from county property tax revenues was $200,000 short of what was anticipated -- creating a shortfall in all funds except the General Fund, he said.
In addition, it is predicted that the WRV district will lose $689,771 in 2012 and $149,735 in 2013 for a total biennium loss of $839,506 -- or a 14.1 percent decrease in state funding.
"We're looking about $1.5 million in cuts in the last four years. We're not giving raises, we're getting just the opposite. So we are going to have to become more efficient in what we do," Wall said. "We just can't operate under the current structure like we have in the past."
Wall said annual notices of RIFs are common in the school district and in most year those teachers have generally be called back when funding numbers come into place.
This year could be different and he does not anticipate calling all nine teachers back to the classroom before school starts in August.