Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Reductions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Duluth Public Schools outlines $7.6 million budget cut plan, scales back music co-teaching
Summary
Superintendent Magus told the school board the district must make about $7.6 million in reductions and described a shift in music staffing from a co-teaching model to a single teacher of record plus reduced lesson FTE; administrators recommended any restorations come from assigned fund balance rather than further staff displacements.
Superintendent Magus said the Duluth Public School District must make “a significant course correction of about $7,600,000” and laid out how the administration and principals created reductions and realignments to meet that target.
Magus described adjustments that will change the middle- and high-school music model: bands and orchestras will have a single teacher of record for each class period rather than two certified teachers in a co-teaching model, and supplemental lesson support will be reduced to about half of current full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. He said the district expects a mix of in-class assistance and pull-out individual or small-group lessons but cautioned it will be “a significant reduction in support.”
The superintendent said the board asked administration to develop a comprehensive list of reductions rather than a menu of one-off cuts, and that the district used stakeholder input and an “educational leadership system” framework to weigh priorities. He said some reductions previously made (library media specialist and middle school supports) had been added back when COVID-era federal funds were available but were again considered under the current plan.
Board members asked for detail on registration and enrollment in music and elective courses, and Director Larva described early community conversations about partnerships, artists-in-residence and grant-funded supports to supplement reduced district staffing. Larva said some work has started with content specialists and curriculum committees to pursue grants and shared partnerships at elementary and secondary levels.
Superintendent Magus and Executive Director Simone Zunich discussed fund-balance options. Zunich said board policy sets an 8% target for fund balance; after the most recent audit the district’s fund balance was 10.71%. Magus recommended that, if the board chooses to add any FTEs back now, the district use assigned or unassigned fund balance rather than try to identify additional staff reductions after displacement notices have been issued. Zunich estimated a certified instructor (salary plus benefits) averages about $100,000 and said using $200,000 to restore two positions would be feasible in the short term but would reduce the unassigned fund balance by a nontrivial percent and should be weighed against five- to seven-year projection shortfalls.
Magus emphasized the administration tried to shield classroom positions where possible and that larger percentage reductions were taken at district office and senior leadership to limit school-level impacts, but he and board members acknowledged every reduction will have negative effects on students, staff and families.
Board members and speakers repeatedly characterized the options as the “least worst” choices given current revenue and uncertainty about state and federal funding, and several members urged continued attention to community partnerships, grant writing and a possible future referendum to restore programming.
Ending paragraph: The board did not vote on a different funding plan at the meeting; discussion closed with follow-up requests for specific registration numbers, the estimated FTE cost to restore positions, and more detail about proposed community partners and grant timelines.
