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CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) Staffing and program cuts will be fewer than previously proposed this week by the Valley City School District.

On Monday some $600,000 in cuts from the general fund was announced, now after several discussions over a 2 day period, the school district will be trimming an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 from their total 2014-2015 budget.

Superintendent Dean Koppelman says the new estimate does not include any salary benefit increases. It also moves the estimated Interim Fund from 7.92 percent to about 10.60 to 11.15 percent under this new plan.

Koppelman says the school district’s financial situation is tied to the new school funding formula which is now based on a per pupil payment.

During the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers approved cutting the property tax base for homeowners across the state. The money lost through local property taxes was to be replaced though a per pupil payment that increased from $4,000 to $8,800 dollars. The funding will increase to $9,100 per pupil in the next school year.

Koppelman says the formula has created a tight situation for the school district in Valley City being it’s facing a declining student enrollment this year and over the next five years according to their projected enrollment report released on April 7.

On April 10, Koppelman had more bad news concerning declining enrollment. As of March 31 the Valley City school district has lost 27 students since the fall 2013 enrollment of 1106. Now the school district K-12 enrollment is down to 1079 students.

Elementary Art Teacher Lindsey Yanish urged the school board to reconsider eliminating her position during the April 7 meeting.

On April 10 the school board voted for a non-renewal of art teacher Lindsey Yanish’s contract. But the board said they will review the position again this summer. School board member Rick Ross urged the board to keep the art teaching position.

The board voted unanimously to reduce one elementary teaching position by not renewing the contract of Tara Glandt.

The board is now looking at a plan to keep the Guidance Counselor position at Jefferson elementary school. Earlier it was proposed to be combined as one position following the retirement of Judi Hilliar.

The school board is now looking at a plan to keep the Individual Learning Center in place. The board will discuss that issue during a future board meeting.

The board voted to transfer $16,000 from the Junior High Title I program to the elementary schools to retain 3 full-time Title I positions.

Koppelman said a Junior High Family Consumer Science position now open would go unfilled and the school board voted to reducing a combined math/social studies position held by Angela Van Bruggen from full-time to 80 percent.

Some $58,000 in across the board cuts in the activities department proposed during the April 7 meeting is now under a complete further review.

And the school board voted to restructure library staffing by transferring one elementary aide to the Senior High School.

Koppelman says a recall list for those teachers whose positions were cut is now in place. He hinted that it’s possible some positions cut could be reinstated in August depending on the school district’s financial picture.

The estimated revenue for the district is at $12,450, 214. The estimated expenditures are at $12,448,084 for a net gain of $2,129. The estimated Interim Fund for the 2014-2015 school year would be at 983,975 or 7.90 percent. The state recommends a school district’s Interim Fund be at 10 percent or higher.

At the April 7 meeting Scott Wellness says the district should ask the public for a vote to raise the mill levy to make up part of the shortfall with the district’s budget to retain teaching positions.

But school board member Mike Callahan believes asking the public to increase property taxes would be an unpopular move at this time.

Above photo, about 200 people showed up for a special meeting on April 7 to hear the recommended staffing and programing cuts by Valley City school district administrators. During the April 10 special board meeting about 50 people attended.