FARGO (KFGO) – The Fargo Public Schools Superintendent gave a budget update to the Planning Committee at a meeting on Feb. 3, and presented deficit reduction strategies for the upcoming school year.
Cory Steiner says the equivalent of 56 full-time positions will be cut and the proposal will save the district more than $5 million, but that doesn’t necessarily mean 56 people are losing their jobs.
Some open positions won’t be re-hired and retirements are allowing them to look at reorganization within the district office and at the Explorer Ecademy.
“We have some retirements that have occurred and we’re looking at where do some of those job duties belong, and do we need those job duties still done by that person or can they be pushed into other areas. And then if persons are doing more we look at adjusting their pay,” Steiner explained.
Superintendent Steiner says he met with high school, middle school and elementary school principals with the goal of cutting 15 full-time positions at the elementary level and another 15 at the secondary level. Steiner says they are also using feedback from a survey that was sent to all district staff.
“We’ve tried to make sure that, not everything, but a lot of that was used in here. Those positions were things that groups have identified and said we’re not 100% sure why we have this position,” Steiner said when speaking about the staff survey.
Steiner says reorganization of the district office could save about $500,000 and they could save another $875,000 through reducing the number of paraprofessionals. Another $1.5 million in savings was found after taking a deep dive into the district’s hardware, software and subscriptions.
Steiner emphasized two key areas that will be protected from cuts.
“We have protected for the most part two things. Core. ELA (English Language Arts), math, science and social studies, and class size at the elementary.”
Steiner says about 60% of the cuts come from staffing, which makes sense because 80% of the overall district budget is staffing.
Other areas where the district found they could save money include $100,000 through water, garbage, heat and electricity when Horace Mann Elementary closes. And the district will save about $400,000 by simply changing devices from Windows to Chrome.
One way the district plans to generate revenue is by charging activity fees for 6th graders and increasing other activity fees, which hasn’t been done in about 15 years. Steiner says a waiver will still be available for families who can’t afford to pay activity fees.
Fargo Public Schools will also start charging a fee for families who pay for school meals with a credit card. Families will still have the option to pay with cash or check and not pay an extra fee.
Over the next couple of weeks, the district will be notifying staff who are affected by the reductions. The proposal will be finalized at an upcoming School Board work session.
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