The District 205 School Board voted tonight to accept a slate of job cuts and reductions in work hours.
62 jobs were eliminated outright, including 16 teachers, and 22 positions will experienced a reduction in work hours and pay
When Superintendent Ralph Grimm unveiled his proposal for cuts in district-wide spending in January, which he called a “revitalization plan”, the cuts totaled $3.2 million.
Tonight’s actions amounted to around $1.7 million and total cuts will shake out around $2.6 million in yearly expenditures.
Grimm tells WGIL he respects criticisms raised that cuts haven’t affected administration enough.
“This is hard on everybody,” Grimm says. “Everyone of us who work in this district will be impacted by these cuts in some form or fashion, whether some of us are going to take on additional duties, work longer hours, have more responsibility. It’s not fair.”
The board also voted 5-1 to discontinue stipends for supervisors of 26 clubs and activities, although Grimm says the discussion over community funding of these organizations is not over.
“If we maintain level funding for next year and if we’re promised level funding for next year then our financial situation changes a little bit and I think the board would then look and say, ‘ok, what can we think about bringing back?” Grimm says.
After voting finished, appointed board member Ellen Spittell was seated to fill the remainder of Rick Welty’s term that ends in April 2017.
