2-14-10 | Community worried about Jordan School Dist. $30M budget hole | Fox 13

 

Community worried about Jordan School Dist. $30M budget hole

by Aaron Vaughn| Fox 13 News | 10:01 PM MST, February 14, 2010

WEST JORDAN - The Jordan School District is trying to save $30 million and are forced to cutting teachers, programs, while increasing class size. Some legislators, like Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, are expecting higher state property taxes in the future to make up for the problems faced by the shortfall. This week lawmakers will receive final state revenue number. With those figures, they can finally decide how much money should go towards public education.

The Jordan School District is reducing its 2010-2011 budget by $30 million, which will result in approximately 500 layoffs before July 1, 2010. The budget cut will also cause Jordan School District to increase its class sizes by an average of four students per classroom. High school teachers will lose one prep period and teach an additional class to mitigate the class size increases. The Jordan Board of Education expects to identify the specific programs and positions it needs to cut by the end of March.

If the Legislature further reduces public education funding for the 2010-2011 school year, Jordan School District will consider other options, including employee furloughs and pay cuts, to reduce the strain on its budget. More information on the school district's budget can be viewed at www.jordandistrict.org/board/budget.

Please visit http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-jordan-school-dist-budget-cut-worries,0,7316380.story for more information.