Faced with deficit spending, Durango School District 9-R Superintendent Daniel Snowberger is proposing giving school principals more flexibility in hiring their staff and faculty.
At a community meeting Wednesday, Snowberger outlined what he stressed was a preliminary budget for fiscal year 2013-14. A final school board vote is expected in June.
The district currently spends 108.3 percent of its revenue – an amount that, in the long term, is not sustainable, he said.
Revenues for fiscal year 2012-13 were $38,174,795, of which 80 percent was spent on salaries and benefits.
Snowberger said he did not know whether an 80-20 ratio was an optimal one for the district’s budget, but he hopes the community will engage in a dialogue about it.
With no change in staffing, the district would spend $740,922 more next year, meaning that even with an additional $370,487 in income from the state, it would run a deficit of $370,436.
Snowberger said until now, school staffs were determined by Central Office directives – you have this many students, and therefore this many teachers. But going forward, school principals would be given a certain amount of money with which they could make their own decisions about hiring.
In a phone interview, Laine Gibson, the district’s chief financial officer, said this would not mean principals could unilaterally do away with music departments or math teachers.
Principals’ discretion would be narrower: Snowberger said in some cases, principals might want to hire several teaching aides, while in other circumstances, a principal might choose to hire an interventionist – someone highly trained who specializes in turning around poor results in subjects such as reading and math.
School board member Kristy Rodri asked Snowberger how he intended to shift the 80 percent figure without cutting school staff.
“You can’t,” he said.
During the last five years, the district already has cut about $3.5 million.
Snowberger said Central Office already made cuts totaling $795,237, largely by reclassifying staff and not filling vacant positions.
The overall amount allocated to schools for nonsalary expenses also has been cut by $45,000.
Throughout the recession, Snowberger said, the district fought to keep teacher salaries competitive, freezing salaries only once in the last five years.
Average teacher pay in Durango is $48,123. In Bayfield, it’s $42,189; Ignacio, $41,349; Mancos, $36,285; Archuleta, $44,831; Montezuma-Cortez $37,458.
In his study of similar Colorado counties, Snowberger said only Summit County paid better than Durango, with an average teacher salary of around $49,000.
The district currently is in negotiations with the teachers’ union.
But Snowberger said he wanted to move up a step, meaning move them along their pay schedule.
“People shouldn’t be stuck at their salary; they work extremely hard,” he said.
Toward the end of his presentation, after answering questions, Snowberger asked the room for input, saying, “What aren’t we thinking of?”
The room was silent.
cmcallister@durangoherald.com
