The Rochester School Board on Monday accepted retirement requests from six teachers and eliminated the positions of three others.
The temporary, part-time elementary art teaching position of Rachel Schnitz and the full-time Rochester High School positions of Spanish teacher Jenifer Brown and science teacher Lois Padilla were eliminated.
Also on Monday the board received a report from the athletic department outlining what it will do to reduce its budget by $15,000 per year. That was one of several cost-cutting measures the board took March 29.
Elementary school athletic stipends will be cut. Head coaches, with volunteers, may run programs if they like.
Middle school basketball B teams were cut too. Coaches are to develop a plan for how many players to keep on their teams and playing time.
All athletic coaches also are taking a 4 percent cut in pay.
And to further solidify its cost-cutting measures, the board on Monday approved a memorandum of understanding with the Rochester Classroom Teachers Association that freezes salaries at present levels and limits incremental increases for certain levels of service at 2 percent.
All of the measures are part of a months-long process to cut the school corporation's general fund budget because of decreased state funding.
The state cut school funding by 3.5 percent from 2009 levels and 4.5 percent from estimated 2010 levels. The cuts equate to $423,000 from the corporation's general fund. 2011 revenues are expected to be even less.
Cuts this year are as high as $492,687 and 2011 cuts should be nearly double.
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