LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Teachers and school leaders warn that students in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) could lose some of the educators they rely on most as a result of budget cuts.
Under the JCPS budget for next school year, schools would lose $18 million in Needs Index funds. The money is largely used to pay school staff.
Documents presented to the Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) show 455 school-based positions could be impacted because of cuts to the Needs Index funds.
Educators warn some schools could be hit much harder than others.
"With this budget, a lot of students will be losing their favorite teacher," said 2020 Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year Matthew Kaufmann during a recent school board meeting.
Last school year, schools received more than $31 million through the program. Under the proposed budget, that funding would drop by $18 million.
The funding is distributed using a formula that considers factors such as the number of multilingual learners, ECE students and economically disadvantaged students at each school.
Principals decide how the money is spent. District data shows this school year, about 90% of that funding has been used to pay salaries. Principals will still decide how those funds are used, meaning the exact positions impacted could vary by school.
Some educators say the changes could significantly reduce programs.
At J. Graham Brown School, Kaufmann said the funding loss could lead to major course cuts.
"Just at Brown, which draws from all zip codes of the city, we will lose 11% of our teachers and four classified positions," the teacher said. "We will lose AP Spanish and Spanish III classes, an AP social studies class, AP visual arts classes, theatre classes, literature electives, and sixth- and seventh-grade world languages."
Schools that currently receive the most needs-based funding are expected to see the largest losses. The funding formula itself has not changed, but the total amount of money available has changed.
For example, Iroquois High School received nearly $970,000 this school year. Under the proposed budget, that amount could drop to about $270,000 next year — a decrease of roughly $700,000.
Principals say nearly every school will feel the impact.
"At my own school, that’s three teachers, two security monitors and the complete elimination of an art program within a magnet program," said Dr. Nayasha Owens Patterson, principal of Western Middle School for the Arts.
JCPS Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood said the Needs Index funds pay for positions beyond what is required.
"The issue is the extra funds they receive we can no longer afford," Yearwood said. "So yes, we had to scale back on those funds, which would then have an indirect impact on those individuals, but every school will have their right allotment to ensure we do not have overcrowded classrooms."
Schools are also facing reductions in other areas, including cuts to middle school team funding.
Some educators worry the changes could increase disparities between schools.
"While my friends at Manual take a $200,000 budget decrease, my school takes a million — how is that stability?" one educator asked the board.
Yearwood said district leaders are trying to solve the financial crisis while minimizing the impact on students.
"Our students did not create this deficit," Yearwood said at his state of the district address. "But they will benefit from how we solve it."
Initial staffing levels are set in February ahead of the next school year to meet the March 1 statutory deadline.
Staffing may be adjusted again at the start of the school year if enrollment changes, with final adjustments required by Sept. 15.
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