School budgets force a delicate balancing act

Faced with a steep revenue shortfall and declining enrollment, the Carson City School District is staring some tough decisions squarely in the face.

Chief among those is the emotionally charged situation involving the possibility of closing one of the district's six elementary schools.

Teachers and parents, rightly so, worry about the impacts of children forced to attend a new school and potentially losing important relationships with friends and teachers. Although many teachers and staff would be reassigned if the school were closed for cost-saving purposes, not all would maintain their positions. Other drawbacks include a massive rezoning and increased student-to-teacher ratios within the district.

Parents are pushing school district administrators to investigate all cost-cutting options, including reducing or eliminating sports and other programs, to save closing a school.

After a series of town hall meetings in recent weeks, there's a growing sense that the district has done its due diligence and thoroughly looked into the myriad options available. Moreover, there's a growing sense the realities of declining enrollment cannot withstand the forces of balancing the budget.

School officials note the district has nearly 1,000 fewer students than in 2003, emphasizing the notion there is no longer a need for six elementary schools. Closing a school would save about $3.5 million and help the district come to grips with the expected $7.2 million cuts school officials predict will be handed down by this year's Legislature.

Those nearly 1,000 fewer students mean about $6,000 fewer dollars per pupil, translating into approximately $5.4 million less revenue for the district.

"Yet we're still operating the same square footage," Bob Anderson, school district fiscal director, said recently. "When you're just talking about cold, hard cash, the best way to save money is to close one of the schools down."

Unfortunately, there's more to this story than cold, hard cash. To that end, the district has handled the prospect of a school closure appropriately by scheduling multiple community meetings and workshops to pore over all options, including a breakdown of savings associated with a four-day school week in Carson.

At a special meeting last Saturday, Superintendent Richard Stokes unveiled an option to closing a school. The new "Option B" includes a long list of cost savings that keeps all current schools open, closes eight portable classrooms and eliminates 56 positions for a savings of $3.765 million. In addition, most of the school board members openly opposed the previous option of closing a school.

The ultimate decision regarding the district budget will be difficult. Preparing for that decision openly and candidly is the best way to ensure the best possible resolution for all involved.