The Nampa School Board meets Tuesday to discuss the next steps in overcoming a $5.1 million budget deficit.
In an interview last month, Nampa Superintendent Tom Michaelson said every district employee was working hard to make sure the budget crisis didn’t affect students. But he said that might not be possible.
“It’ll affect the kids if we have to look at reduction in force, if we have to see higher class sizes” Michaelson said.
Reduction in force is what the Nampa School District will consider Tuesday. The proposal eliminates 47.5 teaching positions next fall. That’s about 6 percent of certified staff. It would cut 15 secondary teachers in non-core subjects and ten to 15 elementary teachers. Some counselors and elementary music and P.E. teacher jobs would also go away. District representatives say most of the jobs can be eliminated through attrition.
Despite making deep cuts this school year, Michealson says next year’s budget will be key to putting the district back on track.
“I’m hoping that next year about this time (mid-April) we will have a real good target on where we are and then the length of time from that point,” he said.
The budget hole was uncovered last August. Michealson says it will take 18 to 24 months from that point before the Nampa School District will know if it’s out of the woods.
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