Gateway Collaborative, 14 jobs axed in school budget proposal

Springfield School District Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin is recommending the closure of the Gateway Behavioral Collaborative and slashing 14 staff positions in his $26.9 million fiscal year 2017 budget proposal.
http://www.eagletimes.com/news/2015-11-17/Front_Page/Gateway_Collaborative_14_jobs_axed_in_school_budge.html

Gateway Collaborative, 14 jobs axed in school budget proposal By Allan Stein allans@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD — Springfield School District Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin is recommending the closure of the Gateway Behavioral Collaborative and slashing 14 staff positions in his $26.9 million fiscal year 2017 budget proposal. "After much consideration, we have decided that the long running program is becoming a luxury that cannot be afforded in this current fiscal period," McLaughlin said at Monday's meeting with school board members. "This proposal also continues to place an emphasis on the priorities we have articulated in the past — the development of our staff and reinvestment into our long neglected buildings," he said. The superintendent's $28,977,741 budget proposal for fiscal year 2017, which begins July 1, is $5,478 less than the current budget of $28,983,219. McLaughlin said the proposal was built to improve education while reducing marginal costs. He said "two external factors have made the test even tougher." "Last spring, the legislature passed Act 46 that significantly lowered the amount of spending that the district could engage in without being double taxed," the superintendent said. "Then in the fall, our insurance pool announced a 7.9 percent increase in our health insurance premiums. "If accepted, our proposal will lead to the net elimination of approximately 14 positions. When this is combined with the cuts of two years ago, our district will have reduced 37 positions over the last three [budget] cycles," said McLaughlin. Major budget increases in the proposed budget totaling $1.2 million include $315,000 in reserves for contract negotiations with two large school district unions, $247,126 for out-of-district placement tuition and transportation, and $246,126 to cover the anticipated increase of 7.9 percent in health insurance for all school district employees. Proposed decreases in the budget also total $1.2 million, the largest of which includes the elimination of $720,000 in tuition funding for the Gateway Behavioral Collaborative program. The tuition-based K-12 program targets both special education and at-risk students who have shown an inability to perform behaviorally within their home schools, McLaughlin said. Ten students in Grade 1 through high school are currently enrolled in the program, which is located at the Riverside Middle School in Springfield. All 11 staff positions would be cut under the district budget proposal, including the director, four teachers, and six support staff. "If this proposal is accepted, the staff's job for the remainder of the year will be working on transition plans for students to return to their home schools or other placements," said McLaughlin. He said some of the students have already been transitioned out of the program. The closure would take place at the end of the current school year, he said. Also on Monday, the school board appointed volunteer members to eight budget subcommitteess to take a detailed look at school, administration, special education, building and capital budgets and report back to the board with their findings.