CLARA CITY -- Budget cuts in the MACCRAY School District this spring could total $600,000.
The school board discussed that figure at its meeting Monday. Cuts at that level would make up about 9 percent of the projected general fund budget for next year, said Superintendent Greg Schmidt.
If the Legislature increases state aid for schools, fewer cuts might be needed, Schmidt said, but since most state aid is tied to enrollment, it might not help that much. Information about changes in state aid for next year probably won't be available until May.
MACCRAY has been graduating senior classes with 70 to 80 students and replacing them with kindergarten classes numbering in the low 40s, he said.
The administrative team is preparing recommendations for the board to consider in March, Schmidt said.
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"We're really looking at almost anything," he said. The administrators plan to propose more than $600,000 in total cuts so that the board can choose from various options in reaching the total.
The board has discussed closing the junior high building for some time, but that will save less than $100,000. There is at least one buyer interested in the building if it is closed, he said.
Other savings could come from having two sections in elementary grades rather than three sections, he said.
That would lead to class sizes in the mid-20s in many cases and in the high 20s in a few situations, he said. Kindergarten class sizes would still be in the low 20s.
The goal is to make the cuts without losing electives and other programs that are attractive to students, Schmidt said.
The board may consider a levy referendum in the fall, too, though a decision on that would come much later, Schmidt said. The district has two levies in place that total $771 per pupil-unit.
The board also wants to protect its fund balance that is currently about $500,000, a little less than one month's expenses. "Go much lower, and cash flow is a problem," he said.
The board has scheduled a work session March 12 to discuss budget options. The next board meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. March 26, when the board expects to make some of the budget decisions, including whether to close the junior high.
