Bremen Community Schools Board closes pool, continues cuts

The board, by the conclusion of the meeting, was within $31,879 of reaching the total $392,000 reduction, having cut more than $360,000.

The meeting was attended by about 50 people, including teachers. They heard the board discuss, then vote to approve the second phase of budget reductions that included elimination of the pool day program (the teaching of swimming to students during the day), at an over-all savings through 2011 of $48,953; the outsourcing of custodial and maintenance at the schools, at a savings of about $10,000; the partnering with Community Hospital of Bremen for the cost of school nurse services at a savings of $5,663; eliminating the full-time media center assistant, replacing the position with two part-time assistants, at a reduction of $1,622; the early retirement incentive acceptance by two teachers, saving $17,895, and a reduction of $7,173 by transferring up to 5 percent of the capital projects fund to pay for the early incentive retirements, making a final payment on a truck purchased four years ago, and carrying over the remaining balance.