By Steve Robinson | April 27, 2007 - 1:27 am
Posted in Category: The Normalite, Unit 5

Unit 5NORMAL – Normal’s Unit 5 School District, continuing to look for ways to slash a deficit in its Operations and Maintenance Fund, decided to lay off 12 full-time custodians at its regular meeting at the district office on April 25.

But one way to save the district $1.2 million meant costing some jobs, as Unit 5 is laying off 12 custodians as part of the deficit-reducing measures it considered at the meeting.

The jobs eliminated included those of six high schools custodians from both Normal Community and Normal Community West, a total of three other custodians working in two of the district’s three junior high schools, and two custodians from Brigham Elementary and one custodian from Colene Hoose Elementary.

By cutting those positions, Unit 5 expects to save almost $484,000.

In addition to the job cuts, additional steps the district will take toward saving the remaining portion of the $1.2 million include reducing purchasing outside services by 10 percent; reducing supply and materials purchases by 10 percent, and reduce overtime costs by 10 percent.

Board member John Puzauskas called the budget shortfall “a systemic problem.”

“This (decision) is not something we’re doing haphazardly or lightly,” board member Jay Reece said. “It still means we have to make some hard decisions and make some cuts. These don’t eliminate the deficit. It does reduce it.”

The cuts will affect the district office and the educational services center building, as well, as each facility will see a full-time custodial position reduced to half time.

Despite the district’s current financial squeeze, the school board voted not to increase the prices of student registration fees, school lunch prices, and optional student insurance for one more year.

AUDIT FIRM SELECTED: The board also voted to award a one-year contract for auditing services to Peoria-based Gorenz and Associates “for a fee not to exceed $16,500.”

Tod Altenburg, Unit 5’s chief financial officer, said that although the district sought a three-year contract with Gorenz and Associates, the auditing firm recommended a one-year contract for now in light of upcoming changes to the board as a result of the April 3 elections.

CARLOCK TEACHERS PRAISED: Among the District’s “Good News” items at the meeting were positive words for two Carlock Elementary School teachers, Kris Decker and Barb Larson.

Carlock Elementary Principal Carmen Bergmann introduced each woman to the board and said that first grade teacher Larson arranges individual packets of materials for her students for them to work on to help them improve on the lessons taught. Larson is scheduled to retire at the end of the school year.

Bergmann praised Decker for her efforts to bring a singing group from Zambia to Carlock. It spurred school-wide, year-long theme, which included a fundraiser for the purchase of three acres of land for “The Growing Project.”

The Growing Project is an organization that helps get land for Zambia residents so that they can use it for farming. So far, the fundraiser has earned enough money to have three acres of land purchased so far.

STUDENT EXPULSION APPROVED: The board agreed to expel a district student for the rest of the year and for the entire 2007-08 school year. Neither the expelled student’s name, or the reason for the expulsion were given.

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