The net cutbacks handed down to school districts are less than 1 percent of their 2009-10 budgets, well below the 3 to
10 percent for which some school officials had braced.
While the lost money will be felt, it likely won't force local schools to cut staff or programs.
"I think we're going to be able to do it without affecting any staff or any programs at this time," Farmington Municipal Schools Superintendent Janel Ryan said.
The legislation actually cuts school funding by 4 to 6.5 percent, but lawmakers redirected stimulus and capital outlay funds to schools to offset the losses. The net reduction to school budgets is less than
1 percent.
Gov. Bill Richardson has yet to sign the legislation. He has until Thursday to do so, or veto it.
Though the schools don't plan on laying off employees or nixing programs, the lost money does have to come from somewhere.
The Bloomfield School District likely will make up its deficit by evaluating every position that comes open. Only those vital to student success will be filled, Interim Superintendent Joe Rasor said.
"We are going to make it, but it's still going to affect our total service plan," Rasor said.
Farmington Municipal Schools may pay for its $500,000 net loss out of the district's cash balance. Ryan worries,
Byron Manning, finance director of the Central Consolidated School District, said the district is waiting for the governor to sign the legislation before making any decisions. He's worried that Richardson may veto the bill redirecting capital outlay money to schools.
CCSD would lose $256,000 if the legislation is signed as it is, Manning said.
Aztec Municipal Schools administrators will sit down this week to discuss how to deal with the cuts. It'll be tough because the money must come out of this year's budget, and a lot of money already was spent, Superintendent Kirk Carpenter said.
"Coming at this time of year, it's hard to deal with," he said.
The schools escaped larger cuts during the special Legislative session, but that may not be the case when lawmakers reconvene for a 30-day session in January. Next year's budget deficit could be even larger.
"All they tell us is be ready," Ryan said.
Because they're worried about further cuts, school districts continue to be fiscally cautious. They are seeking ways to save on utility costs, leaving some vacant positions unfilled and evaluating every expenditure.
"We're very cautious about spending any money still because we don't want to overextend our budgets. It scares us," Rasor said.
If additional budget reductions come in January, school officials worry that layoffs and program cuts might be unavoidable.
"We're looking at some hard times ahead of us, and we're just hoping to get through it," Rasor said.
G. Jeff Golden:
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