TRAVERSE CITY -- For weeks, transportation workers in Traverse City's public schools urged board members to keep special education busing part of the district.
On paper, transferring those duties to the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District would save $700,000. Bus drivers and aides wanted the board to consider how the change might affect students, describing the department as something of a family.
The board unanimously approved the item Monday as part of roughly $6 million in budget cuts for 2010-11, to employees' dismay.
"I'd like to start off by thanking you all for firing 29 of my coworkers tonight," said bus driver Gail Maison, who told board members they should have asked more from administration.
"We're talking about the highest-paid individuals in our school system," she said. "They could all afford to give a little more out of their pockets."
Board members largely kept to the administration's recommendation, amending it only to eliminate up to eight half days next year and apply the savings to compensation.
Cuts will include a projected $3.2 million cut from compensation across the district, $75,000 from athletics and $300,000 from administration.
The district is facing an estimated shortfall of $8.7 million next year, out of a roughly $90 million budget.
Eliminating eight half days next year would save an estimated $80,000.
Two half days could be combined into a full day yet this year.
Students also could be in classes six minutes longer each day beginning March 1 for every two additional half days cut, said Christine Davis, executive director of human resources.
Board members Monday also considered increasing athletics' cut to $100,000, removing additional days from next year's calendar, doubling district leaders' cut to $600,000 and increasing the formula used to set class sizes by 0.75 instead of 0.5. None passed.
No one supported board member Megan Crandall's motions to preserve some police liaison officers in schools and lower the number of extra sections art, music and physical education instructors would need to teach. Neither were discussed.
Several board members, including Crandall, Kelly Hall and Fred Tank, wondered why administrators hadn't provided details of how they would cut $300,000 from leadership.
"I'd sure like to know what that would do to the administrative structure," Tank said.
Davis has said it likely would involve both the central office and principals.
Superintendent James Feil said administrators are doing more with fewer resources, and further cuts "would risk our progress."
But a number of staff members disagreed, arguing that a lesser hit to administration is not equitable to other departments, such as transportation, which in addition to the loss of special education busing will have to cut another $500,000.
Administrators' suggestions were solid, board President Marjie Rich said.
"That's why we're not seeing a lot of changes," she said. "The fact that we are more or less accepting these recommendations does not mean we have not done our due diligence."
Many of administrators' ideas overlap with those suggested last fall by a committee of parents, district employees, board members and taxpayers.
Teacher Pam Forton, who participated on the budget committee, said board members should have drawn more from the group's list before voting.
"I feel like I wasted my time," Forton said. "Basically, nothing we did really mattered when it came down to the end."
