State Aid Saves 10 Positions for Carmel School District

An increase of $1.25 million in state aid will help Carmel School District restore 10 full-time equivalents (FTE) in the proposed 2013-14 school budget, according to Superintendent James Ryan, who went over a restoration plan at a special meeting held on Tuesday, April 2.

The restorations included the 7/8 team structure at George Fisher Middle School (three FTE), a music teacher that is shared between the high school and middle school, four instructional teaching assistants, a clerical position for the district office and a facilities worker.

SIMILAR: Carmel School Board Considers Cutting 16 Full Time Positions

The increased funding also allows for the athletic director position to be a 12-month-a-year position as compared to the previously proposed scheduled 11-month schedule.

The transportation and facilities lines were recommended to be partially restored with $120,000 combined funding.

The district administrators also suggest putting $250,000 toward the tax levy.

The increase in state aid helped reduce the initial $2.5 million levy-to-levy gap by $1.25 million. Certain suggested eliminations are remaining in the proposed budget including: a math and social studies teacher at the high school, five teaching assistants/aides from the special education department, two facilities positions and a 1.4 FTE caused by enrollment reductions.

“It think with all things considered, this is a pretty good package,” said Ryan.

Of the 10.4 FTEs to be reduced, nine positions are being eliminated through attrition. The remaining 1.4 FTEs would be laid off.

It was made known during the meeting that the teacher that would be let go was Michelle Marquez a French teacher at the high school.

Parents, students and even William Manfredonia, the principal of the middle school, urged the board to reconsider the proposal.

Elizabeth Anderson, a junior at the high school, said that Marquez inspired her to want to be an interpreter.

Manfredonia, who claimed to never have met Marquez, said that her dismissal could mean the end of the French program for the school district. There are two other teachers certified to teach French in the district, but it was speculated that they could not teach proficiently at an advanced level.

School Board President Richard Kreps expressed his concern over adding the teacher back into the budget.

“I do not want the budget to go over 2.9 percent,” Kreps said.

Trustee Heyam Nesheiwat recommended keeping the teacher position in the budget and reducing the athletic director and clerical staff back to the initial proposal and find cutting the amount of money in the facilities and transportation lines.

Although Marquez many be the most proficient French teacher the district has,  is the advisor to the French club and is the organizer of the annual French trip, she is also the teacher in the foreign languages department with the least seniority. All foreign languages teachers are bundled together under state law and if cuts are to be made reverse seniority is the only consideration the district is allowed.

The board asked the curriculum committee, which meets on Tuesday, April 9 at 5:30 at the high school to see what the options were for French studies.

The board is scheduled to adopt a budget at its regular meeting on the same night. The school board meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.

The current proposed budget is for $113,616,757 and has a budget-to-budget and levy-to-levy increase of 2.98 percent.

Under the tax cap levy formula the school district must keep its increase to less than 3.31 percent.

The public will vote on the budget and the capital projects referendum on Tuesday, May 21.