If the referendum fails, RPS will need to make major cuts in all four of these areas and will need to close schools and raise class sizes across the district in order to close the projected $19.4 million deficit.

While it is possible to identify the broad types of budget reductions that RPS would need to make if the referendum fails, it is not possible to provide the public with a detailed budget reduction plan at this time. That is because the development of the school district’s budget is an eight-month process through which new information is received and analyzed and stakeholder input is conducted, and that process for the 2025-2026 school year has not yet started, much less concluded.

At the School Board meeting on Tuesday, October 8, the School Board voted unanimously to direct Superintendent Pekel to develop a 2025-2026 general fund budget recommendation that includes reductions if the Ignite Student Learning referendum plan is not passed by voters on November 5, 2024. The budget recommendation would include:

1. Closing three elementary schools to save $2,304,392. The schools the administration recommends closing if the referendum fails must be identified before January 1, 2025.

2. Increasing class sizes at all grade levels by three students to save $5,643,396. Financial savings from increases in class size result from eliminating approximately 50 FTE teaching positions.

3. Reducing central office positions and non-instructional positions at the school level to save $2,381,608. This would mean eliminating approximately 20 FTE positions, including positions in the superintendent’s cabinet, central office administrators, principals, clerical staff, maintenance staff, and operations staff.

4. Reducing programs and positions in the four investment areas in the Ignite Student Learning Proposal to save $6,378,956. Those reductions would be made in the four categories of the Ignite Student Learning plan. Based upon analysis that would be conducted following the failure of the referendum, some of the positions and programs in the ignite student learning plan might be eliminated, some might be reduced, and some might be continued with no changes. :

   1. Positions that assist students who need more support to thrive

      1. Reading specialists and curriculum

      2. Media specialists at elementary schools

      3. Community Schools coordinator positions and programming

      4. The CAPE parent education and empowerment program

      5. The Launching Emerging Adults Program (LEAP)

      6. Project Search at Mayo Clinic

      7. Driver’s education for low-income students

   2. Programs that challenge advanced students and enrich learning for all students

      1. Advanced learning teachers and services

      2. Curriculum enhancements to deepen learning

      3. Project Lead the Way in middle schools

      4. Music positions in middle schools

      5. Staff and programs at Quarry Hill Nature Center

      6. Planetarium at Mayo High School

   3. Services that strengthen student well-being and mental health

      1. School counselor positions

      2. Mental health screening

   4. Classes that prepare students for success in vocational and technical careers

      1. High school courses in auto mechanics, construction trades, accounting, and more

      2. CTECH classes, including computer science, law enforcement, agriculture, pharmacy, and more

      3. PTECH pathways in nursing and information technology

      4. Postsecondary education and career planning software and supports.

The full resolution and board item are on our website. You can view the school board meeting at this link.