PORT ANGELES — Some music programs and all-day kindergarten were among areas recommended for cuts for the 2009-2010 school year at a Port Angeles School Board meeting this week.

About 60 people packed the Dry Creek Elementary School library on Monday as board members listened to public comments and reports from staff on budget cuts — including at least eight teacher positions — for the 2009-2010 school year, amid a plethora of unanswered questions during the meeting.

The board made no budget decisions on Monday. It will hold a work session on potential budget cuts at 6 p.m. Monday at the Central Services Building, 216 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.

Music programs

The district’s fiscal advisory committee recommended that the music program be cut by $104,570, or 10 percent.

Clallam County District Court Judge Rick Porter spoke in favor of keeping the music budget intact.

“I don’t know much about music, and it wasn’t a big part of my life, but as a district court judge, I deal with many kids in the school system,” he said.

“If you want to keep these kids out of my courtroom, keep them disciplined and focused and in school, music is a good way to do that.”

High school music teacher Doug Gailey also spoke in support of the program.

“I am not unsympathetic to the decisions you have to make,” he said. “But if you look at statistics, kids who have the opportunity to participate in a music program that is strong are also academically strong.”

The committee also recommended cutting the full-day kindergarten, which started at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, back to extended-day kindergarten — which is about a half-day — to save an estimated $123,232.

“If you feel the passion that I feel for the children of Port Angeles, you will try your very best to keep this wonderful program,” said Teresa Vogtman, a Dry Creek kindergarten teacher.

Not sustainable

Michelle Haworth, a resident who also spoke up, said, “I think we are not at a point where we can sustain this program, and if we are cutting everything else that is providing enrichment to the rest of the district, let’s go back to extended day and put in time to work with the pre-schools.”

Extracurricular programs are also recommended for a 10 percent reduction — or $74,938.

Several recommendations for reductions to the special-education program would total $299,958.

“One thing I want to say about the special-education reductions is that they were given to us by Linda [Williams, head of special education for the district],” said School Board member Lonnie Linn, who served on the committee.

“She told us that because of declining enrollment and some students transferring districts, these cuts could be made to the program without severely impacting the program.”

District dilemma

The district had set a goal of cutting some $2.5 million from its operating budget in the expectation that the state Legislature will greatly cut money to public schools, including money approved by voters in 2000 through Initiative 728 to keep class sizes small.

The district also projects a decline in enrollment of 130 students in the 2009-1010 school year, which would necessitate laying off teachers,about five positions in elementary schools — resulting in $384,784 in savings — and about three high school positions — resulting in $244,570 in savings.

The board won’t know how much will be sliced from the district budget until the state House of Representatives and Senate pass a unified bill, but it has to make decisions before then.

Union contracts require districts to inform teachers and other unionized staff who will be laid off by May 15. To meet that deadline, the board must decide layoffs at its May 4 meeting.

“We have to have some decisions,” Superintendent Gary Cohn said.

“We can go back, undo that action [laying off teachers] if the picture looks better, but we can’t do the action after that deadline.”

The legislative session is set to end on April 26, but rumors that it will extend the session in order to finish the state budget abound, Cohn said.

Initiative Funds

The House budget cuts 63 percent of I-728 funds and the Senate eliminates 93 percent.

The initiative supports smaller class sizes, full-day kindergarten and some teacher training in Port Angeles.

The fiscal advisory committee recommended eliminating nine teacher training days to save $785,214. Cohn asked the board to retain seven of those training days, because contracts with teacher unions require them.

Linn said he would not support using money from I-728 funds unless it was to reduce class size.

“The ballot title when people voted on this was ‘reduce class size,’ so this wasn’t for professional development or anything else,” he said. “Anything other than using it to reduce class size, I’m going to vote against.”

Board members Patti Happe and Cindy Kelly agreed.

“I also feel, perhaps not as strong as Lonnie, but I agree that it should be used on reducing class size,” Happe said.

All three suggested speaking with the teacher unions to see if contracts could be renegotiated to maintain more teachers with fewer training days.

For a complete list of reductions, visit the school Web site at www.portangeles schools.org and click on “School District Budget Information” at the top of the page.

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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.