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Southern Door outlines about $1.67 million in cuts after referendum fails; administrators warn of staff reductions
Summary
After an April 7 operational referendum failed, district administrators presented a roughly $1.67 million reduction plan that includes program and staffing cuts, possible shared or contracted services and a proposal to issue four preliminary nonrenewal notices; board members pressed for clearer job descriptions and options to limit instructional impact.
Administrators for the Southern Door County School District told the board on April 20 that the district’s operational referendum did not pass and that they have developed a plan to close a projected gap of about $1.67 million.
"As we know, unfortunately, on April 7, our operational referendum did not pass," the presenting administrator said, summarizing the result and walking trustees through a redlined budget document and a table of proposed reductions. The administration reported earlier planning had estimated $1,673,000 in cuts; an updated column from the April quarterly retreat totaled $1,688,600.
The reduction plan lists compensation and program cuts, several proposed instructional FTE reductions (the administration said the list was adjusted to avoid cutting any science teachers and reduced the proposed eliminations from 18.29 FTE to 17.29 FTE), and a set of nonteacher administrative reductions. The presenter cautioned that figures are preliminary and that some savings come from resignations and retirements rather than immediate layoffs.
Board members repeatedly asked for precise job descriptions and time-allocation data before final decisions. "What is the job description and how much what percentage of time is spent on those actual job description duties?" one trustee asked, pressing whether a position could be converted to a contracted service if significant time is spent on noncore duties.
Administration said they obtained quotes from cooperative educational service agencies for full-time replacements and provided apples‑to‑apples cost comparisons to help trustees judge whether contracting or sharing positions with a neighboring district would be viable.
The presentation also separated budget buckets: the administration emphasized that certain escrow and fund‑80 items are not part of the operating shortfall in Fund 10. "That escrow doesn't come from fund 10," the presenter said, noting different funds are segregated for legal and accounting purposes.
Trustees discussed timing and legal constraints tied to nonrenewal notices for teachers. The administration said it would present only four preliminary nonrenewal letters that evening while accounting for resignations and retirements that affect the total needed reductions.
The board did not adopt a final cut list at the meeting. Administrators said they will continue to refine assumptions as state aid, property values and categorical reimbursements crystallize later in the year and return with more detailed comparisons of contracting versus in‑house staffing.
The meeting packet and the administration’s revised reduction table — which the presenter said was prepared after a retreat earlier in the week — will be used to inform future votes on personnel and program reductions.
