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Details of Proposed Galesburg School District Budget Cuts Revealed

T.J. Carson
Galesburg Superintendent Ralph Grimm told the crowd the district projects a fifth consecutive year of deficit spending.

Galesburg School Board member Wayne Statham told a crowded room of community members Tuesday night how difficult it will be to make cuts in the district. He told them how one of the positions up for elimination belongs to a friend -- someone he had over to his house this past Christmas season.

Job losses are part of a plan that includes 52 recommendations. The school board will vote on each recommendation individually Monday night as it tries to close a projected $2 million dollar deficit in the fiscal year 2017 budget.

The district is projecting the plan will save $3,243,484. 

Some of the administration's proposals include:

  • The elimination of 29 teacher positions and 5 administrative staff positions
  • Shifting around other positions to increase efficiency
  • Moving GHS North to the high school campus
  • Discontinuing day care services provided by the district
  • Reducing or eliminating numerous clubs at Galesburg High School, and Churchill and Lombard Junior High Schools
  • Eliminating the district’s portion of the Bright Futures Program

The plan unveiled Tuesday night didn’t list any names. Decisions on who will be let go will be determined after the school board votes on the proposals.

Jennifer Hamm, Assistant Superintendent for Finances and Operations, said the district was able to find savings without taking away major programs.

“We didn’t do what some districts have had to make hard choices on, where we didn’t have to reduce all of our athletics, or all of our fine arts, or band, or art programs. Although each of those programs may have seen cuts or changes in one way, shape, or another, we were able to preserve what the community told us through the budget reduction committee what was important and what they prioritized,” Hamm said.

Some of the cuts and changes Hamm referred to include eliminating assistant coaching positions in the junior highs, and spreading out one art teacher across both junior highs.

The district’s plan goes further than the cuts and efficiencies announced during the meeting. The plan also called for a study of how the district uses its buildings, closer monitoring of district staffing patterns to match enrollment numbers, and operating with a balanced budget each year.

Members of the public raised concerns after Superintendent Ralph Grimm's hour-long presentation. They wondered whether teachers who are let go would be hired back if the district was able to raise more money, whether enough cuts were made on the administrative side of the district, and if the district would be Title IX compliant if the cuts are made.

Grimm said he felt the district had done a great job identifying what needed to be cut and how to make the district more efficient. But he emphasized the changes might be meaningless if the state continues to under-fund education.

“I don’t understand how when you’re told you’re going to have X number of dollars to operate with, six months into your budget year, the state comes back and says 'We’re sorry, we don’t have enough money to pay all of our obligations.' I can’t do that. I can’t tell my staff, I don’t have enough money to pay you. But the state does that, and it’s been occurring on a regular basis. I just find that deplorable,” Grimm said.

Grimm said the district is still owed around $6.8 million dollars in general state aid from the past six years, and said it's possible the state could hold off on a few payments this year. He said that would force the district to dip into its reserves.