News - Local
Harrison braces for $6 million in cuts
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 4:30 PM by Andy Koen
Updated: Mar 22, 2011 11:07 AM
Administrators at Harrison School District 2 are expecting a $6 million cut in state funding for the upcoming school year. That amounts to about 7 percent of their annual budget.
Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Kevin Smelker says that district will save roughly a million dollars from the closure of the Chamberlain Academy and the elimination of the adult literacy program.
While the board and the superintendent are still reviewing possible cuts, at this point it seems that layoffs are likely.
"Any time you have a reduction of this magnitude, 3 years in a row, it's very difficult to not look at every program and existing programs and the staffing of those programs," Smelker said.
The district is also expected to increase it's class size by one to two students. Harrison currently has a student to teacher ratio of approximately 14-15 students per class, one of the lowest ratios in the Pikes Peak region.
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