By the numbers

Budget woes at Elwood

  • Elwood deficit: $2.5 million
  • Projected income if referendum passes: $1,098,600 per year

Anderson’s 2010 deficit: $5.1 million

  • 2011 deficit if referendum fails: $8.8 million
  • 2012 deficit without tax hike: $14 million
ELWOOD — Art, music and physical education classes have been axed from the elementary school curriculum in Elwood this year, and school officials say it’ll take a tax hike to bring them back.

Meanwhile, the Anderson Community School Corp., which is also putting a referendum before voters, has seen its consolidation lead to fewer art and music offerings.

Glen Nelson, superintendent of Elwood Community School Corp., said the arts programs were not eliminated from middle school and high school grade levels.

Although the Anderson school district consolidated high schools, middle schools and elementary schools this summer, it didn’t make sweeping cuts to its art and music offerings.

There has been some decrease, though.

“When you consider comparing to last year, in terms of total number music art programs in two high schools versus one, one could argue we have less programs now,” ACS Superintendent Felix Chow said.

The school district has not eliminated all programs from a particular grade level, he said. “We haven’t cut it out completely. We have some level of art, music, P.E., at all schools.”

Nelson said the cuts in Elwood were a result of state school funding cuts, along with decreased property values in Elwood that led to a drop in funding.

“Our assessed value here in our community has dropped significantly. We’ve dropped $105 million over past six to eight years,” he said.

The declining state of the city has led to decreasing population and a dip in student enrollment, he said.

School funding is based on the number of students within a school district.

As Elwood loses students, it loses money.

This school year, Elwood has lost 160 students since last fall.

The same is true for Anderson, which lost 930 students.

Even before the loss of 160 students, Elwood school board members decided to cut art, music and physical education from the elementary school grade levels.

Nelson said school officials are being forced to take such drastic measures by funding deficits.

“We’re already seeing things like athletics, art, music and special programs, those things are all going to be coming under greater pressure and more scrutiny because we’ll start paring those away to make accommodations for reading, writing, and things we’re judged on,” he said.

No one wanted to cut the programs, he said. “It makes for a well-rounded student as everyone knows.”

Elwood isn’t the only school district that’s been forced to cut back on the curriculum.

Superintendent Tom Warmke said the South Madison school district has slashed its elementary art, music and physical education as well, but not completely.

Rather than taking the programs away, Warmke said the school district has changed the amount of time each student spends with a subject.

“Every elementary student has nine weeks of physical education and 27 weeks of fitness. All elementary students have a semester of art and a semester of music,” Warmke said.

“That is half as much as it was previously,” he said.

Warmke said the reduction in offerings will save the district $378,000 per year.

Superintendent Bobby Fields said the Frankton-Lapel school district was facing a similar set of decisions, but was saved by an enrollment surge.

“We have not had to make any cuts, at this time. That’s not to say we won’t have to make any in the future. We did talk about possible cuts, but ended up not having to make any,” Fields said.

Fields said the board has considered slashing some of its vocational school offerings, but saw the potential for an enrollment increase and decided to wait it out.

It paid off.

As students fled the Anderson school district over the summer, Frankton-Lapel saw a surge of 139 students.

Fields said the school district won’t see funding from the surge until January, and will likely go into a deficit budget before the cash arrives.

“At least we’re still able to continue to offer everything we offered before the recession. We feel very fortunate,” Fields said.

Daleville Superintendent Paul Garrison said the school district has been forced to reduce some staff, but the reductions have not led to decreased elective offerings.

Alexandria Superintendent Alice Mehaffey said the school district has also been able to avoid cuts to electives and extracurricular activities.

Nelson said that Elwood school board members want to bring back the elementary level art, music and physical education programs, but will need help from the voters to do so.

On the Nov. 2 ballot, voters will be asked to approve a referendum increasing the Elwood school district’s tax rate by 50 cents for every $100 of assessed property value. The hike will last seven years.

Facing a $2.5 million budget deficit, Nelson said the school district was forced to propose the referendum.

If the referendum passes, he said, the school district will receive $1,098,600 per year in additional funding.

Anderson is asking its taxpayers for a 55-cent increase on every $100 of assessed value.

If the referendums fail and the schools can’t find a way to pay their bills, both Anderson and Elwood could be at the mercy of the state.

“You could, in essence, become a state-controlled school corporation and they would pull the purse strings,” Nelson said.

“We’re going to do everything we can before we go back to the state and say ‘We can’t make it. We can’t pay our bills,’”
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