In the end, an elementary music teacher and an instructor in the high school’s drivers’ education program will keep their jobs next year, Moline-Coal Valley School Board members decided Monday night.
Board members agreed to $3.5 million of the $3.6 million in budget cuts suggested two weeks ago by Superintendent Cal Lee. Board members, on mainly split votes, retained the two educator positions but eliminated part of a tutoring program.
The decision to retain a music teacher keeps the fifth-grade band and orchestra program. Many of the 75 people who attended the meeting in the Moline High School cafeteria clapped and cheered at the decision.
About 12 people spoke out in favor of the issue, including professional musician Josh Duffee of Davenport. “Arts and music let students express themselves,” said Duffee, who was educated in the Moline schools and joined the band program as afifth-grader.
Duffee travels and plays music around the world, and believes his career would not have been possible without the background provided in Moline. “I’m living proof right now that someone can go on and do music for a living,” he said.
Walter Clark, Moline, said his two sons and two grandchildren all started in Moline’s fifth-grade music programs, and all have gone on to fruitful careers. Board members should cut sports before music, he added.
Lee first proposed the $3.6 million in cuts to board members on Feb. 22. The
$3.5 million amount decided on Monday would be trimmed from the district’s overall budget of $107 million. Under Lee’s plan, the district also will use $3.6 million in reserves to plug the remaining funding gap, which administrators explained is partly caused by the recession and is made worse by late payments from the State of Illinois.
One of the most contentious issues was the administration’s proposal to not replace seven elementary teachers. Not doing so would increase average class sizes by one student. A motion by board member Dr. Rafat Padaria to replace those teachers with people with less experience was defeated 4-3.
Padaria made clear at the start of the meeting that retaining teachers and low class sizes were her prime concerns. She expressed frustration at the board’s actions overall, noting many other cost-savings suggestions were defeated.
Board member James Kopel proposed a number of other measures, including eliminating some administrative positions, department chairmanships at the high school, and part of the summer-school program. Nearly all were defeated, except his motion to eliminate part of the after-school tutoring program that currently is not funded by grants.
Kopel, who has a background in accounting, warned several times that school district employees should be prepared to take voluntary pay and benefit cuts in the future.
The district’s drivers’ education program should retain all teachers, said board member Cecilia O’Brien, who added that she believes Moline has the best program in the Quad-Cities. The district will increase student fees to help cover expenses in this area.
Board members spent more than three hours in budget discussions, and several mentioned they had heard from members of the public on various budget matters.
