Racine Unified School Board Meets Thursday to Discuss Staffing

The Racine Unified School District Board of Education will meet in special session today, April 21, to discuss the effect that possible spending cuts may have on staffing the district’s 35 schools. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Administrative Service Center, 2220 Northwestern Ave.

District administration at Monday’s School Board meeting proposed $5.2 million in spending cuts to help balance the fiscal 2011-12 budget. The cuts include $764,539 in staffing expenses. Administrators said the cuts are the equivalent of 19 full-time positions and that the affected individuals have been notified.

The administration didn’t identify the specific number or types of positions to be cut which prompted the scheduling of Thursday’s work session.

RUSD administration also plans to identify another $2.2 million in spending cuts within the next few weeks to produce a balanced budget.

In an email to RUSD staff on Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Jim Shaw wrote that building principals were being asked to identify cuts based on their school improvement plans.

“Given all of the uncertainties at the state level, we are putting a hold on the implementation of the recommended school-level cuts," he said. "As a District, we are committed to working together to find the additional savings to avoid staff cuts if at all possible.”