Brian Williams, Times of Northwest Indiana
CHESTERTON | As part of the effort to cut $1.6 million from its 2010 budget, Duneland School Corp. will effectively shut down the last week of June as year-round employees are furloughed.
About 200 custodial, maintenance and central administration office workers will not work and not be paid for the week, Superintendent Dirk Baer told the School Board Monday. Baer said he also will be furloughed for the week.
However, summer school will continue during that time, with the necessary staffing, Baer said.
Baer was unable to say how much will be saved by the move, but called it "a big figure."
In addition to actions taken last month, the district has cut costs by about $1.7 million, Baer said. It was able to do so without layoffs or salary negotiations with the teachers union, he said.
Also Monday, the retirements of another 14 teachers were announced, bringing the total to 30 educators with a combined tenure of 932 years in Duneland schools who will be leaving at the end of the year.
Some of the positions will not be filled, Baer said without specifying. That leaves the potential for increased class sizes in the fall, he said.
Also in response to the budget crunch, the board voted to more than double summer school class fees. The increase from last year's $60 per class to $125 was "imperative" due to reduced state funding, said Monte Moffett, assistant superintendent for curriculum.
The fee represents the difference between the cost of the programs and the state reimbursement amount, Moffett said. The district has in effect subsidized summer classes in the past, but that is not possible this year, he said.
The $1.6 million budget reduction was Duneland's share of nearly $300 million in cuts to public education announced by Gov. Mitch Daniels late last year.
Baer said budgets would likely not be restored next year, but rather the reduced outlays would become the new funding baseline. He said, "2010 has been bad," with 2011 likely to be "worse."