Maribeth Holtz, Chronicle-Tribune

GAS CITY —– Cuts could come across the board in Mississinewa Community Schools, as officials discussed ways to reduce the 2010 budget by $739,000.

Cuts are necessary because of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ cuts to education funding due to state budget shortfalls. Superintendent Mike Powell outlined ideas to the school board Monday, which included salary freezes and staff reductions through attrition.

“These are ideas,” he said. “There’s nothing here that’s been voted upon, set in stone.”

He said with five staff members recently announcing retirement, the school would not hire more, thus saving money through attrition. With that, and possibly not renewing a couple of contracts of new teachers based on performance, Powell said $155,380 would be saved for 2010, and $257,731 for 2011.

Administrators and classified staff will have salary freezes, he said, and he is negotiating a contract with the teachers’ union. If teachers agree to a salary freeze, that would save $115,061 for 2010.

Summer school could be cut by $83,000 in salaries; Assistant Superintendent Tab McKenzie said that may not necessarily cut the program completely, but funding for summer school would rely on grants.

Other cuts come in travel funds for conferences, contractual speech services, math books, pre-school and the athletic budget.

Nonresident tuition will help the budget, Powell said, as well as stimulus funds this year and in 2011.

The district also received $112,000 this year from someone who passed away and left an inheritance to Ole Miss. Powell said that money will be plugged in to the general fund budget.

Powell said the last thing he wants to do is lay off employees. He said he is not going to outsource custodial, cafeteria or transportation staff, nor will the district charge students to ride buses or to play sports.

The cuts Powell outlined reached $711,000, which is shy of the target. But if teachers agree to freeze salaries, it will exceed the necessary cuts.

“No one group is taking a big hit, but if we all chip in a little bit, we can reach the goal,” he said.