[Southsider2k12]

I just got an exclusive breaking news story from the MCAS. The administration is holding a public meeting this Saturday the 20th at 11am in the Elston Auditorium in which they will inform the public about their preliminary plans for cuts if they do not win the lawsuit against the Assessors Office and are forced to make the full $8.2 million in funding cuts that will be required. This is a meeting that the general public will be allowed to attend, but there will NOT be any public comment allowed at that time. Public comments will be allowed at the MCAS board meeting on Tuesday the 23rd at the Administration building.

Speculation has centered on the cuts potentially including things like school closings, program cuts, teacher layoffs, administrative cuts, and the closing of the Eastport Early Learning Center.

Please spread the word and attend this meeting, the future of the school system and Michigan City as a whole is potentially at stake here.

[Southsider2k12]

I do want to say that I think this is a huge step forward for the leadership in the MCAS administration to be having this public meeting. Simply put, if Michael Harding was still in charge, does anyone think this meeting would be happening? Hell, no. The administration would have come up with a plan, and hid it from the union, or forced their silence in exchange for seeing the plan. Hopefully this openness is a sign of things to come.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...d9519802205.txt

MCAS board plans work session

Published: Friday, March 19, 2010 4:17 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — The Michigan City Area Schools’ board will conduct a work session to discuss property tax shortfalls from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Elston Middle School auditorium, 1210 Spring St.

The work session is open to the public; however, there will be no opportunity for public comment. Following the session, materials and a public-comment form will be posted on the MCAS Web site at www.mcas.k12.in.us.

The public can make comments during a public forum at the next regularly scheduled School Board meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, also planned at Elston Middle School’s auditorium.

MCAS faces a possible shortfall of $8.2 million due to the ongoing dispute surrounding La Porte County property taxes. The district also is experiencing a shortfall of $2 million due to cutbacks in funding by the state.

During the work session, board members will hear the administration’s proposals to meet these shortfalls, which represent nearly 20 percent of the school district’s general operating fund budget.

[Southsider2k12]

I wonder if incentives for retirement would be one of the plans in the doomsday scenario for the MCAS?

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...09507557619.txt

Retiring teachers mean LP can add staff; cuts revealed

By Matt Fritz
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 4:18 AM CDT
LA PORTE — Far from cutting jobs, La Porte Community School Corp. actually plans to add 17 to 19 more people to the district next school year.

That is because a number of teachers are retiring.

Superintendent Judith DeMuth said Tuesday night the corporation will be able to cut the $1.66 million necessary to make up for state funding cutbacks to the district without having to eliminate any jobs.

This is mainly due to the retirement of 26 positions at the end of the school year, aided in part by the retirement insurance incentive passed by the School Board at its last meeting. DeMuth said 17 positions will be refilled, seven will not and one reading teacher at each middle school will be replaced by a reading interventionist.

This would come to a total six months savings of $562,328 and a yearly savings of $1,124,656.

The district also will save (on a six-month basis):

• $24,250 from the administration by not becoming a National School Board Association affiliate and suspending the curriculum support line.

• $30,600 from the High School by moving summer school to an online program and consolidating Project ED, ISTEP+/GQE Remediation.

• $18,500 from the Middle School by moving summer school online and reducing Project ED and Detention Program PM positions.

• $26,000 from the elementary area by moving summer school to an online program.

• $260,000 from Food Service by charging full, indirect costs.

• $192,463 from special eduction by reducing assessments and charging for worker compensation costs.

• $154,393 from maintenance and custodial by implementing an energy management program, renegotiating service contracts, restructuring building safety and security procedures, restructuring labor costs and reducing operations.

• $28,450 in transportation by reducing summer school transport, changing mechanic schedules and eliminating double-busing of preschool students.

DeMuth said this was done using input from the district’s administrators and staff to keep the integrity of the district’s curriculum and positions.

Teachers’ union President Claudia Williams expressed her appreciation toward the administration for allowing this.

“We all had the same focal point: student learning,” she said.