Board discusses cuts and restructuring for community learning centers, resource coordinators amid budget gap
Loading...
Summary
Trustees reviewed proposals to reduce and reconfigure resource coordinators that staff Community Learning Centers; administration presented options that could cut roughly $1 million from current resource coordination spending while preserving services through corridor/shared models and lead agencies.
Trustees spent a sustained portion of the March 17 meeting debating how to preserve community learning center support while reducing costs in the face of a multi‑million dollar budget gap. The administration presented two broad approaches — keep the existing lead-agency model but reduce total coordinator months (proposal 1A) or move some coordinators in-house as district employees (insource, proposal 2A) — each designed to lower the district’s current resource coordination cost.
Why it matters: resource coordinators are the point people who connect schools with community partners and outside services. The district currently spends roughly $4.1 million on resource coordination and lead agency reimbursements; the administration presented options that would reduce the budgeted cost to approximately $3.1 million under a corridor/shared model and shorter pay periods.
What was presented: Director Sierra Badgett and Deputy Superintendent described the existing lead-agency network that places coordinators in schools and the baseline reimbursement model (the district historically pays up to $72,000 per coordinator through lead agencies). Under proposal 1A, the district would maintain lead agencies, retain resource coordinators at high schools, and reduce the number and/or months of coordinators at schools under an enrollment threshold (e.g., share one coordinator between two smaller schools). Proposal 2A would in-source (CPS employ resource coordinators directly), with salary/fringe assumptions shown in the presentation.
Public comment and board questions: Lisa Hyde Miller, LSMC chair for Bridal Hill School, spoke during public comment to underline the role resource coordinators, urging clarity on expectations and noting that average statewide salaries she found were in the $55,000–$58,000 range; she asked how cuts and federal/state funding changes could affect students if coordinator roles were reduced.
Board members pressed administration on equity and consistency. Several trustees, including Vice President Bolton, said lead agencies provide valuable local partnerships and urged preserving the core mission; others, including Board Member Craig and Vice President Bolton, expressed interest in more consistent pay and shared resource pools so smaller schools can access programs their lead agency does not directly provide.
Budget details and next steps: Administration said proposal 1A would reduce the total district cost for resource coordination from about $4.1 million to roughly $3.1 million if coordinators are paid for fewer months (11 months vs. 12). In-source options include different salary bands with estimated fringe costs; administration noted implementation, recruitment, and logistical issues would require planning time. Trustees requested more detailed school‑by‑school lists showing which sites would change, and the administration agreed to provide those specifics and schedule follow-up discussions as part of the budget process.
No formal board action was taken; trustees asked administration to return with a recommendation and school-level details.
