Alpena Public Schools Finance Committee recommended the board of education spare kids and classrooms from the mid-year cuts the board will be considering at its Nov. 23 meeting. Because of cuts the state has made to its school aid fund, the district is facing up to a $292 reduction per pupil and the board will have to make a decision as to how much they want to cut this year.

Assistant Superintendent for Operations Diane Block said since Gov. Jennifer Granholm was notified two weeks ago that state revenue has declined again and the state will be facing a shortfall, cuts have to be made. Granholm has until Nov. 21 to come up with an alternate funding plan for schools or schools throughout the state will receive an additional $127 per pupil cut.

When the board adopted its budget in June it budgeted for the state's foundation allowance to remain the same, like 70 percent of school districts throughout the state. Based on that foundation allowance the district's initial deficit spending was $1,431,051 but grew $166,727 with the addition of three teachers for two new kindergartens and a fifth-sixth grade split class and an emergency replacement of the Alpena High School fire alarm system.

The deficit spending grew further due to the $165 cut, making the current deficit spending $2,319,294. If the district receives the additional $127 cut from the governor, deficit spending will grow to $2,874,670.

"We are not actually in a deficit. We have $4,579,00 beginning fund balance," Block said. "If we did nothing and the cuts happened and we spent $2,875,000, we would have $1.7 million left in our fund balance."

Since the district doesn't have the ability to control cuts from the state or to raise revenue, it has no option but to make cuts.

Block said the administration is looking for some direction from the board as to where the cuts should be made. She said the thing with mid-year cuts is that one has to cut more to save the same amount.

Superintendent Brent Holcomb said the district's main focus is the class room. Everything surrounding the classroom, such as transportation technology, athletics, administrators, instructional assistants and food service are ancillary to it.

"I'm open for cutting things that do not affect the priority of the classroom," board member Mike Barnett said.

Board member Maureen Mead said if you cut something it's going to cut the classroom so the board needs to figure out where it can cut so it won't have a huge impact on student learning.

Board member Bruce Zann agreed but said unfortunately with the amount of cuts they're going to have to make, the classrooms will be affected.

Prior to the Nov. 23 meeting, the board members will be scrutinizing budgets to see where money can be saved. Holcomb said the district is hoping to make it three years before it falls off the cliff; the point at which districts no longer have a fund balance and begin to deficit spend.

Crystal Nelson can be reached via e-mail at cnelson@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693.