For the week of June 13 - June 19, 2001

District budget proposal includes 14 teachers

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Driven by increased enrollment and a need for more special educational services, a proposed 2001-2002 Blaine County School District budget contains funding for 14 new positions.

District Treasurer Mike Chatterton and Superintendent Jim Lewis unveiled a $40,203,799 budget to the school board on Tuesday of last week. The proposed budget is about 7 percent higher than last year’s $36 million budget.

The board was scheduled to meet last night to approve it.

Lewis said the new teachers are needed due to an increase in students, especially in the elementary and middle schools.

"This community chose to have smaller class loads--20 or less," he pointed out, compared to a state average of about 25.

Proposed new positions include two reading teachers, two education aides and a vice principal at the high school. Special services would also be beefed up, with more aides in both special education and English language proficiency for students whose native language is not English.

Three one-on-one, full-time aides were added last year.

Lewis said the number of students in Blaine County requiring special services is on par with the rest of the state.

"There was a rumor that special ed. kids had moved to Blaine County because we treat them better. It’s not true," he said.

However, he added, GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) enrollment in the county is unusually high. A condition of the district’s federal grant for special education requires it to seek out "exceptional children" at the pre-school level for its programs.

Lewis said Blaine County receives about $12,000 in federal funds annually for special education children in its preschool program. Blake Walsh, the district’s special education director, said that is not enough.

In fact, Lewis added, special ed funding needs have gone up fivefold in eight to 10 years.

"It’s not wrong, it’s right," he said, referring to the search program’s success. "Blaine County does the best we can. We have one GATE teacher at each school, a half-time one in Carey and none at the Silver Creek Alternative School."

The other big increases were for programs in English as a second language, or ESL, and Limited English Proficiency, or LEP, and ancillary positions including counselers, speech patholigists and aides.

In 1989, there were only two students in the district who were classified LEP. In 2000 there were 302.

Central Services, which includes all school technology programs, computer purchases, maintenance, software and site licenses, also had an increase in the proposed budget.

Chatterton said projected utility costs next year are $775,000, up from $593,00 this year. Other increased custodial expenses include those for new sprinklers, roofing repairs in the older buildings, landscaping contracts and a new preschool at Hemingway Elementary, to open in 2002.

There is a regular 5 percent to 7 percent increase per year in the cost of school supplies and technical support such as software for computers, Lewis said.

Lewis pointed out the necessity of looking at the valley’s growth 10 years ahead when making plans.

"This district should look immediately to getting more land for the expected growth," he said.

Each school principal fills out a worksheet at the end of the school year to help the district know where more money may be needed.

Principals need to plan at least a year ahead, Lewis said, for how many kids they will have and where to put the money they are allotted. "There are creative ways to figure out how to get the best for your schools," he said.

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