GREENFIELD — Faced with millions of dollars in revenue reductions, Greenfield-Central will move forward in laying off up to 50 support staff positions prior to next school year. 

    “Our intent is not to let 50 positions go,” school board President Dr. Michael Summers said during G-C’s Monday night board meeting. “Our intent is to look for ways to continue saving money and let go as few people as we possibly can.” 

    Some laid-off support workers could later be called back if the district’s financial situation improves. However, district officials aren’t optimistic. 

    G-C has learned in recent weeks that it must deal with revenue losses far greater than the $1.2 million cut in state funding to which the district has been reacting. In fact, the total estimated loss over the next two years amounts to nearly $4 million, according to business manager Tony Zurwell. 

    Superintendent Linda Gellert asked the board Monday to consider approving the layoff of support staff. She described an analysis that broke G-C’s employees down into employee groups. 

    “What became apparent rather quickly was when you look at the national percentage for instructional assistants we do exceed that by more than 6 percent for that employee group,” Gellert said. 

    Support staff includes workers like secretaries, instructional assistants, custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers. It’s uncertain at this point exactly how a layoff would break down, but it appears that many of G-C’s 102 instructional assistants could be on the chopping block. 

    Each laid-off support staff employee will save the district about $11,000 per year, according to a G-C board memo. 

    After the meeting, Gellert said she’ll sit down with G-C principals to discuss their staffing levels and where cuts can be made. 

    “I’ve got to protect classrooms,” Gellert said. “It’s not based on seniority … so it will be totally different (than teacher layoffs). It’s basically linked to best fit.” 

    Candy Short, principal at J.B. Stephens Elementary, admits it’s unnerving to know the district is in the process of deepening its staff cuts. She expects the cuts to lead to hard choices involving scheduling. 

    J.B. Stephens has 20 instructional assistants, Short said, adding, “We have lost three this year, and they haven’t been replaced.” 

    “We’ll make it through as a school system,” Short said. “We’ll use whatever staff we have to meet the needs of the children. However, it will be more difficult with fewer staff.” 

    About $1.2 million of G-C’s budget shortfall reflects the drop in state funding support that G-C officials have known about. G-C has been able to save about $860,000 through a variety of cost-saving measures. Nonetheless, 14 teacher jobs are on the line as negotiations continue between the district and its teachers association; the board could finalize the layoff at a special meeting later this month. (Even then, some teachers could be called back later if further cost reductions are reached.) 
 
   Despite all the cost-cutting, it’s now clear that the $1.2 million is just the first wave in a series of financial challenges for G-C. 

    One challenge involves the “circuit breaker” that caps the percentage of property tax rates statewide. The goal of the circuit breaker is to make tax bills predictable by ensuring that Hoosiers don’t pay more than a fixed percentage of their property value in taxes, according to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance’s Circuit Breaker Fact Sheet. 

    In 2010 and after, the rate is capped at 1 percent for homestead properties, 2 percent for other residential and rental property; agricultural land and long-term care property; and 3 percent for non-residential real property and personal property, according to the DLGF fact sheet.
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