The Wright City R-II Board of Education voted last month to make good on the district's serious drive to reduce expenses and budget shortfalls to address the critical state of education funding during Missouri's deficit crisis. During its March 23 meeting the board unanimously approved the administration's recommendations for expense reductions and other actions that will allow the district to recoup some $325,000 a year beginning with the 2010-11 school year. The district is facing a budget shortfall of nearly $200,000 so far this school year, with additional cuts feared in early May when the Missouri Legislature is scheduled to approve next year's budget. "When you have no control over your revenue, you have to focus on managing what you can, which are expenses," said Superintendent Chris Gaines, who introduced a comprehensive budget reduction process late last year that with the board's approval of specific expense-reduction items last month now is coming to fruition. The community weighed in ideas and recommendations during a February Town Hall meeting. Gaines told the board the state's financial picture is not expected to improve any time soon, noting that a $1.2 billion shortfall in state revenues is expected the year after next. The expense items and other actions approved to prepare the school district for leaner state budget formulas range from improved bus route efficiencies and slight hikes in prices for full and reduced meals to elimination of some staff positions - several through attrition - and moving the alternative school out of rental space and into space in the middle school. Board members discussed each item on the list of recommendations from the district, weighing the pros and cons of every job and operations cut. "We'll try these for a year, and if something is not working, we'll review and work to fix it," said board member Mary Groeper. Gaines urged the board to act in approving the recommended budget action items to give school leaders help in planning for next year's programs and operations. "Every action we take, every (area) we can identify, gives us more information for decision-making in a challenging environment," he said. Roughly a third of the budget reductions will come in bus transportation efficiencies that will eliminate at least one route. As part of the plan, the number of students being transported will be decreased, with those living within a mile of the school - and where there are sidewalks for safety - will be required to walk, ride bikes or rely on private transportation. Several positions also have been identified for elimination. Through attrition in the next year, the district will cut the Wright City Academy director post, a high school math/business teaching position, middle school librarian, instructional technologist, and extracurricular positions that were unfilled during the current school year. Shawn Brown, high school assistant principal, will assume added duties as athletic director as part of the staffing realignment. A paraprofessional will be moved to support the high school and middle school libraries. The board approved raising K-12 reduced and full price breakfasts by 5 to 20 cents (35 cents to $1.30 per meal) to help narrow the average 74-cent loss the school experiences on its meals, recouping almost $25,000 each year. "We are convinced that our food program operates as leanly now as possible, which has been confirmed by an outside vendor who says they could not find any significant ways to save," Gaines said. Under the reduced budget plan, the alternative school will move from its current rental space into the middle school, which has empty space. Eliminating a day of paid teacher preparation for summer school also will be made, and nearly $8,000 will be saved by moving next year's senior graduation closer to the end of the school term, reducing out-of-class days for which the school misses funding from the state.