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Following an emotional litany of pleas from parents, staff and
students representing programs from fifth-grade strings to middle-school
counseling, Central Valley School District Board President Craig
Holmes summed up the challenge of trimming next year's budget.
"Thank you for making our job more difficult," Holmes
said in a tone that drew a ripple of knowing laughter from the overflow
crowd at district headquarters Monday night.
In the end, the board shaved another $110,000 off its budget for
the 2004-05 school year.
High school C squad sports programs - with the exception of girls
volleyball - will not be offered next year as a result of the reductions.
In addition, middle school extracurricular activities and sports
will be cut from five days to four.
The board also voted unanimously to knock $40,000 off the district
power bill by turning off lights and lowering the thermostat in
elementary and middle school classrooms after 6 p.m.
The latest round of cuts moves the district closer to its goal
of reducing the upcoming budget by $550,000. The remaining $110,00
in savings will be addressed at the Dec. 10 meeting.
Board members will consider possible changes including eliminating
a middle school counseling position, doing away with bus service
for after-school activities involving middle and high school students
and reducing the hours of media assistants at middle and high schools.
Close to an hour of Monday's meeting involved advocates for various
programs rallying for their respective clause.
Ralph Collins, whose children went through the district and whose
grandchildren are on their way up, said the district "always
puts kids first" when it comes to enlisting support for bonds
and levies. He encouraged the board "to work on the source
of income to offset these expenses."
"For the life of me, I can't understand how the kids are a
priority in making these cuts," Collins said.
Other parents spoke out in support of extracurricular activities
like music.
"We must do everything we can to support these children,"
said Sharie Brennan. "Not just academically and athletically,
but socially and musically to bolster their self-esteem."
Brian Hastings, a counselor at Opportunity Elementary, acknowledged
the "difficult decisions" the board faced but stressed
the importance of preventative maintenance and intervention services
provided by counselors. He added that students who seek out help
are often abused or neglected.
"In order to make this decision wisely you're going to have
to visualize the position these children are in," he said.
A six-year veteran of the district, Greenacres Middle School counselor
Julie Daly said cutting a counseling position at each middle school
would increase the strain on teachers.
"If a counselor is gone, you've lost the only expert in the
building on mental health issues," she said. "This is
just not the arena to cut."
A Greenacres parent, who spoke in support of the counseling program
Monday night, mentioned that Daly had been a help to her child during
a challenging time.
"First and foremost, I'm a child advocate," Daly said.
"That's why I fight for this profession."
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