From the WSIL TV Channel 3...

Link to Original Story

Cairo School District Makes Cuts

By Andy Waterman

ALEXANDER COUNTY-- Behind many doors in the Cairo Junior/Senior high school, there are students working diligently towards their education. But behind other doors, rooms are completely empty.

"Unfortunately when you have budget cuts, some things have to go," said Cairo school superintendent Leotis Swopes.

A deficit of more than $500,000 has recently forced the school district to cut its art and music programs, along with ten teachers. Swopes says they warned students and parents about the cuts, but it's still tough to swallow.

"They begin to form relationships with teachers and when they realize we have to make those cuts, and the teachers are going to leave, they do have inherent concerns about what we're doing and why we're doing it," the superintendent explained.

Unfortunately, the recent cuts probably won't be the last. According to Swopes, more and more people move out of Cairo every year. In the last five years, the superintendent says his district has lost about forty students annually. That hurts school enrollment and their tax base.

he said. "The state has been slow in payment, paying their portion of what we get through general state aid, so all of it has just compounded on the district."

If enrollment keeps dropping along with funding, Swopes says they may be forced to combine the junior high and the elementary school, and possibly even out-source their high school students.

"That means it would be cheaper for us to tuition our kids out than to hire a staff to teach them in house," Swopes admitted.

Things haven't gotten that bad yet, but the superintendent says they have to be prepared for the worst.

"That's drastic," he said. "The community would probably fight that, however we would be in a situation where that might be one of the most drastic things we'll have to do."

The district originally cut it's band program along with music and art. But just this week, they decided to hire a part time band teacher to keep that elective open for students. Swopes says the district is also looking to save some money by moving their district office from the old junior high, to empty rooms at the junior/senior high school so everything is in one main location, Swopes says that could happen as early as next year.

POSTSCRIPT:

In the article above, Interim Superintendent Leotis Swopes is quoted as saying "Money is dissipating"...failing to mention the $3.5 million dollars sitting in the bank...which was only $2.5 million when he entered the District.

His mantra is always "We're broke...we've got to fire teachers...we've got to cut programs and services to students"...despite a bank balance to the contrary.

In yesterday's article, Leotis kept citing math, math, math to defend the District's cuts of personnel and programs. Well, when I look up the term "dissipating" and look at the growing bank balance shown in the District's Monthly Treasurer's Report...