Make no mistake about it; educating children is a pretty major investment. Just ask Traverse City Area Public Schools C.F.O. Paul Soma, "the total cost of running the district a day is about 350 to 375 thousand dollars. That's how much it costs. That's everybody's salaries, the whole system and all of our costs associated with running a day." 350- thousand dollars a day is a pretty big number for a district that is looking at making million dollar budget cuts for next year. At that per day rate, it's tempting to think that trimming a few days here and there might be enough to make a pretty nice dent in the budget shortfall. But Soma stresses that canceling a day of classes doesn't really have TCAPS saving that much at all primarily because "the majority of employees of a school system are on a contract basis which means they are still going to receive their pay for that day no matter what."
So even if the school board and administration decide to cut some days here and there, contract workers would still get paid. So there is no savings to be had from the largest number of TCAPS employees. But there is money to be saved by getting creative with the schedule. That's why TCAPS is eliminating some half days by combining them into full days, and coupling that with an additional 15 minutes on to each school day. Both of those changes mean the district can trim full days off the school calendar this year, and everyday does cost. According to Soma "the largest savings comes from transportation and not having to 110 busses on the road in the morning and the night. That whole operation on a daily basis costs us about 20-thousand dollars."
But Soma says eliminating a half day doesn't save them much more than that, "where the savings come in is in the ancillary hourly employees. Unfortunately it is for the most part to be a salary issue for hourly workers. That's where the savings are."
And those savings are realized mainly a full day cut. Soma points out there are certain expenses like lunch room helpers, recess stipends, and other smaller costs that the district incurs on full days, but they don't add up to as much as you might think. In fact on a full day cut from the calendar Soma explains that the bussing is still the big ticket, "the 20-thousand dollars for transportation plus a number of other things add up for another 10 or 13-thousand dollars for about 33-thousand dollar savings for one full day."
Why isn't it more? Well even though they might not be cleaning up after students on an eliminated day, Soma says custodians are busy since "we are not over staffed in that area and there is plenty to do that the custodians have to support the operations."
Closing cafeterias is a mixed blessing because as Soma sees it "They are not working but they are also not generating revenue. Our food service, unlike a lot of school food services statewide, actually runs in the black."
And while the district pays a staggering bill for it, keeping lights off and heat low on day doesn't really pile up quickly. Soma says "utilities cost us a day over 5-thousand dollars total, but we save 4-thousand dollars in the winter with a complete shutdown, but its probably closer to 25-hundred dollars on most days as it relates to electricity and the like."
So what do you think about the plan? Do you agree with combining the half days into whole days? What about lengthening the school day? I would like to hear your reaction and maybe you have another or better idea to save money.
