Town-hall meeting held
Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008
DECATUR — So far this year, the struggling Decatur School District is under budget, according to financial statements Superintendent LeRoy Ortman presented at Monday’s town-hall meeting. However, the school is still looking at budget cuts for next year.
With 30 percent of the school year complete, the district has only used 24 percent of its budget, Ortman said. He predicted the school will continue to stay under budget, in part because of falling fuel prices.
The district received $ 690, 000 in property taxes last week and has already paid off the $ 171, 000 loan the district took out over the summer for operating money.
When the Arkansas State Board of Education took control of the district in July, original projections showed the district would end the 2009 school year more than $ 600, 000 in the red. The latest projections show the district will end the year more than $ 250 in the black.
The state Board of Education will meet again in January to review both the Decatur and Greenland school districts’ situation.
Ortman said he doubts the board will make a decision on the district’s future in January, which would give the struggling district more time to improve.
Even so, Ortman is looking to cut next year’s budget. The district has lost around 70 students since last year, which will cause the district to lose about $ 200, 000 in state funding, he said.
To help Ortman make decisions on which programs to cut, he is forming a “ Focus on the Future Group, ” consisting of 18 to 25 district staff, students and community residents. Some of the programs that may be cut include transportation, sports, cafeteria service, foreign-language courses, and media and guidance personnel.
He plans to meet with the group tonight, then talk to as many people as possible in Decatur to get feedback.
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