By MIKE O’ROURKE
Despite reservations expressed about cuts to the Brainerd School District’s program for gifted and talented students, the Brainerd School Board Monday cut approximately $551,000 from its 2012-13 budget.
“Nobody likes to make reductions, but we think it’s the responsible thing to do,” Superintendent Steve Razidlo said while introducing his recommendation, which passed on a 3-2 vote. Voting yes were Reed Campbell, Tom Haglin and Kent Montgomery. Jim Hunt and Chris Robinson voted no and Ruth Nelson was absent.
Both Hunt and Robinson objected to the cuts to the program for gifted and talented students. Hunt said the district had worked hard to establish the program and this reduction would approximately cut it by half.
“I feel like it’s a step backward,” Hunt, a former Brainerd High School principal, said.
Razidlo pointed out that the need for further budget reductions was discussed even when the school district was asking the voters to support it with a bonding levy.
Other areas which will face cuts or realignments include pre-kindergarten through fourth grade supplies, teaching staff in grades five through 12, music production costs, instructional supplies, physical education staff costs, support for work experience programs, education assistants.
The cuts, Razidlo said, could be made without requiring unrequested leaves of absences or layoffs. A substitute custodial position may be discontinued he said and a clerical position where the employee is retiring may not be replaced.
Razidlo said recommending the cuts was “uncomfortable and not fun.”
MIKE O’ROURKE may be reached at 855-5860 or mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com. He may be followed on Twitter at MikeORourkenews.
Comments (5)
Add commentRazidlo said recommending the cuts was “uncomfortable and
not fun." But then they approved a contract with Cisco Wireless and Electrical Systems at a total cost of $320,077! So in actuality, they got rid of a program for gifted and talented students, a substitute custodial position, and a clerical position so kids can play on their Ipads? What about the other $230,923?
gifted and talented
Sure...cut out a valuable program that actually helps those with the abilities suceed...shame on you. There is plenty of funding to support help to those kids who are "special needs"....someone to wipe their face, someone to make sure they don't bite anyone, someone to try to teach them the letter "A" while others are writing compositions. It's NOT fair, these gifted and talented kids are "special" too, but in a productive way, many with acitve, educated parents. Some parents and kids are just jealous of these gifted and talented kids....they are so bright and need so much more than sitting in an average class room helping the poor teacher teach the slow kids. It is not alright, there are studies showing these kids need certain education also.
I was not surprised to see some of those who voted "yes", mediocracy at its finest. Don't let those who can succeed do it, hold them back and make them wait for all the others. If their kids can't shine....then no one should.
Gifted
Having a gifted program nets the school district something like $12 a head in state funding. Having many children with varying degrees of developmental disabilities is worth significantly more. It is more profitable to invest in finding and meeting the needs of that student with ADD than it is to invest in finding and meeting the needs of that student with a 135 IQ.
So long as we depend on arbitrary funding formulas defined by some cubicle residing employee in Saint Paul or Washington DC the gifted and talented kids will be irrelevant.
fooled again
the latest referendum was for teacher raises -nothing to help the kids! when will we learn?
easy to fool a fool
The latest referendum did NOT go to teacher raises. You would all have been crying foul over that weeks ago. When will you learn that teachers are people too, pay taxes too, have to buy gas and groceries too? They are your neighbors; why do you begrudge them a good living?