Chrissy Alspaugh, The Republic
FREETOWN — Brownstown Central Community School Corp. must cut more than $1 million from its budget, and officials are deciding whether to close Freetown Elementary or make drastic, districtwide cuts.
“Either decision we make, it’s going to be a tough pill to swallow,” Superintendent Roger Bane said.
Gov. Mitch Daniels in December announced he will cut state spending on public schools by at least $300 million, leaving each school district throughout the state with 3.5 percent less in its General Fund.
Reduced state payments to schools began in January.
Bane said the state budget cuts are compounded for his district by the addition of a speech and hearing teacher, a decrease in career and technical revenue from the state and the addition of a fifthgrade teacher at Brownstown Elementary.
In all, he expects the district’s 2011 budget to be short $1,033,906, or about 9 percent of the total budget.
Freetown to close?
Bane said his directive from Indiana Department of Education is to view 2010 funding as “the new baseline” — meaning funding won’t necessarily increase when the economy rebounds.
Without significant spending changes, Bane said his district would be operating a little more than $500,000 in the red by the middle of 2013.
“We’re not going to let the corporation go broke,” he said.
Closing Freetown Elementary and offering early retirement packages to eight teachers districtwide, both effective at the end of this school year, would nearly allow the corporation to balance its 2011 budget, Bane said.
He said retirees would be replaced by beginning teachers, at a salary savings of about $30,000 per teacher.
Other cost-saving measures in this first option include eliminating one special education aide and one maintenance position, reducing travel and professional development spending and purchasing fewer high school supplies.
Bane said Freetown Elementary was allowed to remain open during school consolidations of the 1960s and is under-utilized.
As of Feb. 23, the school had 94 students enrolled, and class sizes ranged from 11 students to 26.
The school has an average of five fewer students per class than the rest of the district’s schools.
“It’s been a luxury, a convenience for people in that area,” Bane said.
He said he likes that Option 1 fits with his original goal of reducing the district’s budget without cutting student programs.
“I’m pretty adamant about that,” he said.
But Bane added that the decision to close a school is “very difficult for everyone involved and it is something we don’t take lightly.”
Freetown residents have flooded school board meetings in opposition of closing what they call the heart of their town.
Residents also have voiced concerns about closing a school that earned the state’s Four-Star School awards in 2004, 2006 and 2007. The status is given to schools that meet Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act and perform in the top 25 percent of all schools in the state in attendance and on ISTEP-Plus.
Bane and his team of administrators have drafted an alternative to cut the budget.
Art, athletics cuts
Keeping Freetown Elementary open would mean finding more than $500,000 in additional cuts.
Option 2 includes the cuts proposed in Option 1 and eliminates the elementary art program and all athletic salaries.
One retiring elementary teacher’s position would be reassigned to an existing teacher and another retiring elementary teacher’s position would not be filled. The plan also would eliminate a fifthgrade teacher, an industrial tech teacher and one middle or high school math or English position.
Finally, the second option would cut a range of teaching aides, eliminate four cleaning positions and close Vallonia gym.
Bane said the elimination of teaching and teacher’s aide positions would result in class size increases.
He expressed concerns about cutting elementary art and athletics.
“I think it’s important for students to have exposure to art at an early age,” Bane said. “Whether they’ll someday become architects or need the skills to identify body parts in biology class, they have to learn those skills somewhere.”
As for eliminating athletics, he said sports programs are “a big part of the culture in our school corporation,” and he thinks athletic programs teach students discipline.
“I do think some families would pull their students out … We’d be losing something that’s definitely part of our school culture and community,” Bane said.
Other savings options
Freetown resident Russell Fritz said neither option seems appealing, and he believes the state Legislature should find a way to increase funding to schools.
“My problem is that anytime the state wants anything bad enough, they find the money,” he said.
“Right now, they need to do what’s right — not what’s expedient.”
Fritz said he also would support Brownstown Central Community School Board initiating a referendum to let voters decide whether to impose a tax levy to raise enough money to keep Freetown Elementary open.
But Bane said he doesn’t believe the district qualifies for either of two laws under which corporations can impose a referendum.
One Indiana code allows a referendum if a district cannot carry out its public education duty unless it imposes a referendum tax levy; the other allows a referendum if the circuit breaker credit causes significant financial hardship to a district.
Bane said he believes neither is true for his corporation.
He said he continues taking input on the options and remains undecided about what he will recommend to the school board.
“I’ll listen to public opinion, but when it comes right down to it, I’m going to do what I know and feel is right,” Bane said.
“I’ll be able to live with myself that way.”
Brownstown Central Community School Board will vote on whichever option Bane recommends on March 16.
“I can assure you that the recommendation will be made based on what is best for the entire corporation,” he said, “with the focus being on student learning, student programs and student services.”