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WASTEFUL SPENDING PATROL -- In December 2003, the Minneapolis School District again found itself spending beyond it's means (or bargaining beyond it's means--click here for a related story), and so was forced to cut $4,500,000 from it's budget in the middle of the school year. In a half-hearted attempt at fiscal responsibility, the district made most of the cuts in top-level admins (like at Pencil-Pusher Central), but $870,000 has been cut from individual school budgets district-wide. The school-level cuts equal about $20 per pupil, which amounted to a $40,185 cut at Minneapolis South High School.

Minneapolis Public Schools Interim Superintendent David Jennings justified the cuts by saying that "We just have no options." Maybe. It's beyond dispute that the Minneapolis Schools have been forced to reduce spending. But if Jennings and the School Board had made the tough decisions over the summer, instead of leaving just $1,000,000 in the budget reserves (which amounts to about 0.2% of the districts' $457,200,000 2003-04 operating budget), then maybe no additional cuts would have had to be made this late in the school year.

But the reality is that Jennings and the Board passed the buck, causing individual principals to hold "brainstorming sessions" with staff and site councils. Common school-level cuts included cutting staff hours, laying off teachers, and reducing use of copies, paper and postage. Jefferson Community School chose to move all "interstaff communication" to email (why didn't they do that years ago?). Few if any pondered the smartest school-level cut: assistant principals and executive assistants. But, of course, they wouldn't want to put themselves out of a job.--Tee Doff, Vinny's Graftwatch Volunteer

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