The committee assigned by the Jordan School Board to make recommendations for district budget cuts met for the last time Monday evening and settled on a list of cuts totaling more than $360,000. That's almost where committee members hoped to be. At the beginning of the meeting, superintendent Kirk Nelson said the reduction goal was $400,000.

After ranking all suggested items A-D, A bearing the highest recommendation to cut and D bearing the recommendation to remove the item from consideration, the following items will be presented on the A list:

• Vocational transporation - $18,000
• Elementary teacher - $50,135
• 1/6 High school technology - $5,000
• Weight room supervision - $2,816
• Journalist publication - $6,930
• Bid or reduce bus routes - $25,000 (administrators termed this figure "very soft")
• Charge or ask for donations for concerts in all schools next year - estimated at $2,000-5,000 in revenue
• Teachers' supply budget reduction - $15,000
• 1/2 Dean of students - $14,261
• Football assistant coach - $3,466
• Cheerleading - $2,013
• Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) - $1,502
• Police Liaison - $15,000
• Middle school teacher - $50,000
• 1/2 secretary from each building - $45,028
• Activity fees - estimated at $12,000 or more in revenue
• Custodian - $39,000

The following are also on the A list, but have no cost savings estimates:

• Community Education fees
• Increase M.A. Billing (special education)
• Technology Information Education Services (TIES)
• Installing a wind turbine to generate income in the future
• Mid-term mailings at the high school
• Freeze or reduce school board member pay
• Supply fees (currently $10 per student K-8)
• Reduce travel costs
• Mandate five days for holidays and shut down schools entirely for energy savings
• Sports admission fees

Some items originally ranked on the A list were questioned at the meeting. The media specialist position at the high school, if cut and replaced with a para-professional, could save the district $43,109. One option discussed was to split the position and have the specialist take over two English classes from existing overloads and supervise the library half time. This would save the district about $10,000.

The middle school social worker position was also contested as an A list cut. This position is full-time and costs $61,745. Middle school principal Lance Chambers said 25-30 students make use of the social worker there each day. The elementary school social worker tied in the rankings between an A and D list cut. That position is contracted three days per week and costs $38,969.

Questions were also raised about the Wolf Ridge program. The cost for this program, $4,395, is the pay given to teachers who go on the trip with the students. That pay is beyond teachers' regular salary.

Three items were added to the list after the committee ranked items:

• One music department position, cost undetermined
• Gifted and Talented programming - $38k000
• Freeze principal/superintendent salary - requires a union vote

The committee's recommendation does not guarantee that these items will be cut. The school board will review the recommendation at its next meeting. School board member Joe Benko stated that everything is still on the table; the only difference now is that the board has a recommendation and information on the items.

For more on the budget reduction recommendations, look in the Jan. 8 issue of the Jordan Independent.