WEST JORDAN — The Jordan Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday night to adopt a 2010-11 budget that freezes teachers' wages while not raising taxes or increasing classroom size.
"The board is very well aware the budget decisions we are making will affect the lives of many people," board President Peggy Jo Kennett said during the budget hearing. "We do not make these decisions lightly."
The board had to resolve a $29.1 million budget shortfall. In early May, the board approved a $17.5 million cut to programs, resulting in a reduction of 190 classified, or nonteaching, staff. Aides and support staff already have begun receiving notification of their termination. The May cuts make for a total of 392 nonteaching positions eliminated since the school year began.
Initially the board looked at increasing classroom size by four but instead will transfer $10 million from the district's capital accounts to its general account. The transfer was made possible by a decision in the state Legislature making such transfers legal, said district spokesman Steve Dunham.
Pay hikes for teachers weren't even factored into the budget deficit, Dunham said. If they had been, the overall deficit would be significantly higher.
Eliminating funding for pay increases known as "steps," which are automatic increases for years worked, and raises for "lanes," which are applied when teachers obtain advanced degrees and certifications, saves the district more than $5 million.
Last year, the board froze funding for steps, and this year, it cut both lanes and steps, Dunham said.
Teachers and community members spoke during the public comment portion of the budget hearing, with many of them calling for the board to consider furlough days rather than freezing wages or eliminating support staff.
"I ask how we will be able to attract and to retain quality teachers in our district when all surrounding districts are offering lanes and steps," said Heather Christopher, a teacher at Bingham High School.
Kennett said the board did everything it could to limit impact within the classroom. Patrons argued that by eliminating aides and other classroom staff, the classrooms will inevitably be negatively affected.
After the meeting, Christopher said the salary freeze would be easier to bear if it didn't seem like Jordan was the only one taking such hits.
"I think if we saw other districts around us that were doing the same thing, then it would be easier to swallow," she said.
The nearby Canyons School District is proposing five furlough days over the course of 2010-11 school year, and Davis is planning on two. Both districts have budget hearings scheduled for June 15.
"It's rather disheartening because we see … (other districts) doing these things. Why can't we?" Christopher said.
Kennett said furloughs weren't a good option because the board was looking for "sustainable budget relief."
"The board has chosen to not use furloughs as a means of generating money for our deficit because furlough days represent one-time money," she said. "It is very important to use measures that will bring sustainable budget relief."
Robin Frodge, president of the Jordan Education Association, said she doubts the board will amend the budget at its June 22 meeting. The district and the teachers' union have agreed to "go to impasse," Frodge said, which means a federal mediator will meet with the two entities sometime this summer.
"To me, it's an issue of quality of instruction over quantity of school days," she said.
e-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com