WJJQ LOCAL NEWS
Merrill holding public hearing on cuts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Merrill Area Public schools will be having a special school
board meeting to discuss budget-cutting proposals.
The Merrill school district needs to cut about $1.4 million
from its $40.5 million budget for the 2012-13 school year.
Members of the board emphasized that the scheduled meeting is the community's
opportunity to weigh in on the proposal.
The biggest change would be closing the Pine River and Maple
Grove elementary schools, which would save the district around $260,000. The
closing of those rural elementary schools appear to be the most controversial
and is opposed by many parents. The students in those schools would then go to
other elementary schools in the district and 5th graders would be moved to the
middle school.
Some of the other 14 cost-cutting measures include increasing
insurance deductibles which would save $75,000, lowering a planned salary increase
saving $124,000, and cutting the boys hockey program at $35,000.
Interim superintendent Bruce Anderson says the district's
structural deficit is caused by decreased state funding tied to declining
enrollment which is expected to continue.
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