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Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Alvord May Give Up $100K in Funding
By Kiera Hay
Journal Staff Writer
A proposal to forgo $100,000 in state emergency funds pledged for Alvord Elementary School got some heated discussion from the Santa Fe school board Monday night — but no resolution.
Instead, board members agreed to table the item until more information could be provided on how the district's budget might otherwise replace the funding. Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez said she expects that information to be discussed at a budget-slashing meeting slated to take place tonight.
Both Gutierrez and board president Angelica Ruiz framed the question as an ethical issue that has implications for school districts “in far worse shape” that could also use the money.
“I think the board has to say, from a moral and ethical standpoint, is it right to take this money?” Gutierrez said.
Said Ruiz, “I'm not going to be in the business of keeping our own and forgetting the other kids.” She compared taking the money to lifting “food out of the mouths of other children.”
Gutierrez said the board needs to look at other issues including “taking back local control” of the district's budget. She also said she was disappointed Gov. Bill Richardson didn't appoint a school superintendent to a recently created state budget-cutting committee.
But board member Richard Polese said he was concerned about the perception the people in the community would have about the Santa Fe school board if it changed its mind on taking the money.
“I think it's time to stay the course with our earlier decision and support with confidence that decision,” Polese said.
Tiny Alvord Elementary, located near the Santa Fe Railyard, was in danger of being closed last spring when Gov. Bill Richardson offered $200,000 in supplemental emergency funds to forestall its closing — $100,000 for each of the next two years.
On Monday, Gutierrez promised that Alvord won't feel a pinch if the district doesn't take the $100,000. She said the money might be replaced through current resources, perhaps job vacancy savings or utility savings, among other things.
The school board meets publicly today at 4:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center on Alta Vista Street to approve about $1.5 million in budget cuts, a response to state-level budget cuts adopted recently. Proposals include a 10 percent reduction in the discretionary budgets — essentially anything not related to salaries or benefits — of each of the district's schools, and the elimination of one job, the district's community relations director.
“This is a sad thing. It's a hard thing. But mostly, it's a heartbreaking thing because it's where we are,” Gutierrez said.
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