School Budget Cut $1.46 Million

The defeat of the Ann Arbor School District's June 8 millage proposal had its effect last night as $1.46 million in program and staff cuts were approved by the Board of Education. A minimum of another $286,000 must also be cut before school opens in the f all, for a total reduction of $1,750,000 or 3.10 milis. . The budget cuts will not be finalized until the 1970-71 budget is adopted later this summer. (A tentative operating budget of $23,453,889 - an increase of some $2 million over the 1969-70 budget of $21,424,971 - was adopted last night.) But School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. said it is "very unlikely" any of the cuts approved last night would be restored. In fact, Westerman said, if a state aid bill being considered now in Lansing is approved which would give Ann Arbor $400,000 less than in 1969-70, additional program cuts might be necessary. The program cuts and reductions approved include elimination of the 6th grade French program, reduction in elementary music, art and physical education, reduction in the junior high class periods from 7 to 6, and reduction in junior and senior high extracurricular and intrapiural activities, Reduction of senior high class periods from 6 to 5 was delayed. The cuts will mean a reduction of 61.5 certified personnel and 48 operational personnel. An additional reduction of 26 certified teachers also is certain if class sizes are increased at the senior highs and class periods are reduced to 5. Voting against the budget cuts last night were Trustees Ted Heusel and Joseph T. A. Lee. The vote was 5-2. Heusel said he was voting "no" because "I'm not sure vhere the monev is going." Heusel also declared that "everyone should share in cutting this budget, ineluding the Ann Arbor Education Association," apparently meaning íhat the AAKA should accept lower salaries because of the tight money situation. Lee voted against the cuts because of his opposition to eliminating the French program in the elementary schools. He has campaigned for severa! months to keep French in the elementary grades. The board has not yet decided on whether to change the requirements for physical education at the senior high level. A petition from Pioneer High School students urging that physical education be made an elective was presented to the trastees last night. On the junior high level, the change from 7 periods a day to 6 will mean that physical education will be an elective in the seventh grade, will be required only on an alternating day basis in the eighth grade, and will remain a requirement in the ninth grade. The required academie subjects at the junior highs will remain the same, but study halls will be almost completely eliminated in the ninth grade. The budget cuts approved last night total $360,500 "on the elementary level, $424,000 on the secondary level, $636,500 in general reductions and $43,000 from community services. The major budget cuts approved are as follows: ELEMENTARY - Sixth grade French program eliminated (6.5 teachers): $71,500. -Instrumental music in grades 5 and 6 reduced from twice a week to once a week (4.5 teachers): $49,500. - Chorus discontinued i n grades 4, 5 and 6 (3 teachers): $33,000. -Art in grades 4, 5, and 6 reduced from one 50-minute period to one 30-minute period (3.5 teachers): $38,500. - Physical education i n grades 4, 5, and 6 reduced from two 50-minute periods to two 30minute periods (6.5 teachers); $71,500. - Noon supervisión: supervisor-pupil ratio w i 1 1 be increased by five students: $12,500. Anumberofproposed improvements, such as increasing money for library and mathematics boaks, will not be made. SECONDARY -Junior high: reduction from 7 to 6 class periods (25 teachers): $275,000. - Extra curricular activities in the junior and senior highs reduced by one third: $12,000. - Interscholastic and intramurals reduced in the junior and senior highs by one fifth: $20,000. - Junior high : no c 1 a s s formed which enrolls fewer than iive students below the goal specified in the master contract with the AAEA. (4 teachers): $M,000. -Junior and senior high counselor ratio decreased from the current 1 to 330 to 1 to 275300. A decrease to 1 to 250 had been proposed (3 counselors): $39,000. - Junior high elective in i academie games cut: $1,200. The proposal to reduce class periods in the senior high from 6 to 5, which would save $220,000, is expected to be decided by the board soon. GENERAL - Funds for in-service tien reduced by one half: $5,000. - Reduction of two coördinators: $30,000. -Research Office: reduction of one person: $13,500. -Clean buildings every other day instead of daily (staff reduction of 46) and reduce staff by one painter and one ir.aintenance man: ($308,500). -Reduce plant maintenance: $180,000. COMMUNITY SERVICES - Funds for an Environmental Interpretive Center which bad been planned will not be given: $12,000. - Five per cent reduction in total budget of public library, Recreation and Continuing Education Departments: $31,000.