Champlin's budget plan cuts no classroom teachers

LACONIA — Facing about $1.2 million in revenue shortfalls, the city’s school district will have a budgetary puzzle to figure out this spring. At least one solution to that puzzle, though, could be had without laying off educators who are directly involved with students.

Superintendent Bob Champlin and Assistant Superintendent Amy Hinds presented such a plan, which was created with input from principals, during a meeting of the school board’s Budget and Personnel Committee on Feb. 21.

Those at the meeting acknowledged the plan was less than ideal but provided a path forward with minimal affect on the quality of education. With such a large-sized hole in the budget, and in a city with a tax cap which limits increases in spending, there was concern classroom teachers might be “RIFed,” an acronym that refers to reduction in force.

“Our hope is not to get into RIFfing, but we know we’ve got a big challenge,” Champlin told the committee.

The shortfall

Next year’s budget, which includes renegotiated contracts for teachers and support staff and rising costs for health insurance, is proposed to be $44.88 million, a 4% increase in spending. Meanwhile, the amount of revenue the district is expecting to receive is dropping by $1.24 million, largely due to a change in Laconia’s metrics determining how much adequacy aid the district receives from the state.

The increase in spending, combined with the loss in revenue, add up to a budgetary deficit of $2.97 million. That deficit can be partially overcome by an increase in taxation. Champlin said the district has been given a tax cap forecast from City Hall that predicts an allowable increase of $1.18 million schools. The final figure won’t be certain until April, but if that forecast is accurate, it would mean the district would be left to cut $1.79 million from its budget.

The fix

Champlin said his proposal was supported by principals, whose input was used to identify areas where significant resources could be removed from the budget.

The proposed solution cuts up to six positions, all of which operate across the district. The positions include a literacy coach, a one-on-one nurse, a “floating nurse” not assigned to a specific school, a curriculum coordinator and a special education position.

Another batch of savings is expected by replacing retiring teachers with less experienced hires who will cost the district less in salaries.

Champlin said $250,000 can be trimmed from prebuy programs for technology and teaching supplies, and $900,000 can be withdrawn from reserve accounts established for special education and for stabilizing budget swings.

Altogether, Champlin’s suggested solution would lower the budget by $1.85 million, sufficiently addressing the shortfall without laying off any educators who work directly with students.

“We don’t see this as a one-year solution,” Champlin said. He explained he expects the budgetary picture to look much the same next year, so any cuts made now should be done with sustainability in mind.

“We do believe that we have a method. It’s not ideal, but those people who are directly working with kids, those are the ones that we want to protect and preserve,” Champlin said. “There is no educational reason to do this, we are trying to have the least impact [while addressing] a significant challenge.”

“We are not in an ideal situation,” said Laura Dunn, a board member and chair of the Budget and Personnel Committee, but she said she had “spoken to some stakeholders” and could support the plan. “We know we’ve got great teachers and support in place for them.”

The proposal will be presented to the school board at its next meeting on Tuesday, then will be more closely evaluated by the Budget and Personnel Committee.