SWITZ CITY -- Nine teaching contracts were canceled at Thursday night's White River Valley Board of School Trustees meeting, but school officials are hopeful that most of the displaced teachers can be recalled in early May.
In making the recommendation for the next step in the Reduction in Force (RIF) process, Supt. Layton Wall said, "I feel confident that most of these staff members will be called back. However, with all of the uncertainties around the legislative changes it is much safer to call teachers back after we know the facts."
As a prelude to naming the teachers that were on the RIF list, Wall said budget projections for state support are better than first anticipated after Gov. Mitch Daniels announced last week that $150 million of new money was being distributed to K-12 schools across the state.
White River Valley will receive an additional $164,000, but that still doesn't offset a two-year projected loss of state revenue amounting to $734,000 for the years 2012 and 2013, according to the latest report received by school officials.
The WRV budget was already reeling from about $600,000 in state cuts in the last two years, according to Wall.
The loss for the 2012 budget is projected at $525,000. That better than a $689,000 decrease that was expected by an earlier projection from state officials
"It's better, but it's still an 8.9 percent increase. Then for the next year (2013), it will be a decrease of $209,000," Wall stressed. "Even with all of these cuts (of teachers and staff) it's allowed us this year to take the blow a little easier...It is some good news. It is not as good as we hoped."
The board also approved the elimination of guidance assistant position at the junior-senior high school at the end of the current school year because of the district's financial status.
As a first move to deal with the current financial crunch, the board approved a motion to make application for a $4 million temporary loan.
Wall explained that the level of cash flow was down to its lowest level in five or six years at about $191,000 -- not enough to make payroll.