Latest rumor: General State Aid for schools could be reduced

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Eldorado Superintendent Gary Siebert said during Thursday's school board meeting there is a rumor circulating the state may cut the per pupil amount of state aid from $6,200 to $5,600.

"If they drop the per pupil to $5,500 from $6,200, well, probably we will have enough money to have school and that's about it, unless there are drastic cuts," Siebert said.

The board authorized Siebert to give notice to the Eldorado Education Association regarding possible economic reductions of certified and non-certified staff.

"We are going to be doing some reduction in force," Siebert said.

He said he would bring the board a recommendation on cuts in February.

One cut he said he will likely be making is staff of the early childhood and at risk programs. The state last year had indicated state funding to the program would be cut to 60 percent of funding than previous years and the board was ready to make cuts in the program limiting the number of pupils and staff. Then the state changed its mind and announced schools would receive 90 percent of funding.

Then the state did not pay anything toward the program until this month with $57,017, still owing $113,097 and Siebert said the state was only able to pay that because it had borrowed the money. Meanwhile, the district is paying for the program out of its own money.

Siebert said the State Board of Education passed a budget for fiscal year 2011 that calls for level funding -- the same as fiscal year 2010 -- that may be $1 billion short. The state used about $1 billion in federal stimulus money to fund schools this year that won't be available next year.

In good news, the state is making its aid payments on time. But the state is prorating -- cutting -- $15,754 in payments to Eldorado. Also the school is losing over $40,000 in Personal Property Replacement Taxes, Siebert said. The district budgeted $56,954 that it will not receive from the state, Siebert said.

The state as of Thursday was behind $297,019 in funding for various programs.

Siebert said he was frustrated he could not provide more information to the board.

"As superintendent I'm your leader, but I can't tell you where we're going to be Aug. 1. I don't think anybody can tell you," Siebert said.