MEDIA RELEASE ** MEDIA RELEASE ** MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Board Makes Personnel Decisions at Recent Meeting
The Frankfort CUSD #168 Board of Education held a Special Meeting on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in order to consider action on personnel items. After initial planning for this year’s budget last summer, some revenue lines came in less than expected while some expenditure lines, including health insurance, came in with much higher than average increases. This increased the budget deficit. While the school district had already developed a deficit reduction plan, this affected progress on meeting it. While reductions are being examined across all areas, state law sets time requirements for how soon faculty members need to be notified if they will receive reduction-in-force notices. As performance and experience play into employment decisions, the Board had to begin the process by deciding which positions had to be considered for elimination or to have assignments combined. As a result, over the next few days, bidding and bumping among the faculty barging unit will be ongoing.
After considering many factors including academic areas of concern, class sizes, already vacant positions, and the distribution of faculty to meet the high needs of its students while preserving as much of the well-rounded educational program they offer, the Board approved two motions related to personnel.
In the first motion, the recommendation to cut the following positions for the 2025-2026 School Year was approved:
- Behavior Interventionist position DES
- Social Worker position DES
- Math Interventionist position FIS
- Music position FIS/CJHS
- Computer Science position CJHS
- Gear Up position CJHS
- Math position CJHS/FCHS
- Music position FCHS
- Physical Education position FCHS
- Special Education – Functional position FCHS
- Part-time Resource Management position CHS
- Part-time Special Education position FCHS
- Parent Liaison position DES
- Parent Liaison position FIS
- Custodial-Maintenance position District
In the second motion, the Board approved posting for bidding the following positions:
- Music position District Schools
- Fifth Grade position FIS
- Business/Resource Management position FCHS
- Special Education Resource position FCHS
The list of positions cut combines jobs that are already vacant as well as changing some jobs from individual building assignments to combined positions that had previously existed. As of Wednesday afternoon, five faculty positions were posted for bid including restoring the combined Music position for District Schools, restoring the combined Business and Family & Consumer Science position at FCHS, opening a Fifth Grade position at FIS as well as a Special Education Resource position at FCHS, and listing the previously vacant position of Special Education Cross-Categorical at Denning Elementary School.
In remarks made by Superintendent of Schools Matt Donkin prior to the motions, he indicated the district was working with the Bargaining Unit for the Teachers’ Aides on the number of potential cuts that group may experience as exact job positions were still being determined. Action on that item will be considered at the Regular Meeting on March 17.
Initial confusion after the Board meeting was also caused as initial reports from the meeting came in an internal memo from the Superintendent sent at 11:28 p.m. on Tuesday that contained a typographical error. While the memo said that the authorization for bidding of new positions would be posted, the next line said they would be cut. That caused understandable concern. A correction email was sent from the Assistant Superintendent at 6:31 a.m. Wednesday but, unfortunately, the initial information is what circulated widely. In an internal memo on Thursday, the Superintendent apologized for that error caused by quick proofreading of the names and positions but not catching the typo on the other line.
In today’s memo, the Superintendent noted the postings of some combined assignment positions that had been previously split when funds allowed for additional staff to be hired. The Music Department is one example of that. He recalled the almost complete elimination of the District’s Music Department prior to 2017 when the Board at that time faced tough decisions due to finances. Other staff and volunteers worked to keep a lifeline going for the program. After employing one part-time licensed music instructor for the District in 2017-2018, the District was able to begin rebuilding the program by adding a full-time licensed music teacher in 2018-2019 and then expand to add a second Music position in 2021. The District also restored a specific line in the budget for the Music program that had not existed. That budget line will remain.
District officials are continuing to examine ways to support the music program and other programs that are facing cuts knowing that the entry level for FIS students in music is an important factor in the continued success of the overall program. Several options are being examined and will be announced as soon as possible. Going backwards was not the option hoped for, but financial conditions had to be considered. The Board continues to pursue its goal to get programs back up and running efficiently as soon as possible. While District #168 has one of the lowest property tax levy rates south of Interstate 70, it serves a community and students with great needs. It will continue to use available resources as efficiently as it can.
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[For the original copy of the release, please click this link: https://5il.co/39rq2.]