Cutting Class (And Other Cost Saving Measures)
Presumably LPS is going to have to carefully ration its nickels and dimes as state aid will probably drop after the legislature does its business. Which begs the question: What should LPS cut?
And don’t just yell out “There’s too much bureaucracy! Cut the red tape!” That’s lazy and lame. There may well be too many administrative costs, but specifically which administrative costs are excessive? Which administrative costs should be cut? Should salaries be slashed? Positions eliminated? Entire departments be scrapped? It all sounds easy until you remember that much of the bureaucratic nightmare that is modern public education is required by state and/or federal requirements.
I have quietly lobbied for a few years now against public school athletics programs. Don’t get me wrong, I think athletic activity and team participation is hugely important for kids. I just don’t think it belongs in schools. Fully explaining the transition process and what sports teams would look like ten years from now is beyond the scope of this post, but let’s just say I think it’s doable. It’s not an ideal solution—the status quo is not ideal either—but it would certainly save a lot of taxpayer dollars.
So being as specific as you can be, what would you cut?
The Comments
Fletch says There's too much bureacracy! Cut November 6, 2009 at 9:52am
There’s too much bureacracy! Cut the red tape!! (I added one extra exclamation point for emphasis)
Mr. Wilson says RE: There's too much bureacracy! Cut November 6, 2009 at 9:53am
I’m disappointed that you didn’t also write it IN ALL CAPS!!1!
Fletch says RE: There's too much bureacracy! Cut November 6, 2009 at 10:01am
Okay, I do have ideas. This could be a long post. And I am at a slight loss, as I have (for shame) worked for my entire adult life in the private sector, so I can only speak anecdotally about government types of entities.
My personal belief is that nearly any company or entity, large or small, if they really set out to, could probably trim 5-10% from their budgets and overhead. I’ve done it at home, I’ve done it at businesses. Over time, things tend to get bloated - kind of like when most people put on a couple of pouns a year, and one day, they seem kind of pudgy. Diet and exercise can trim the fat. It’s the same idea.
One of the things I have witnessed in government agencies, and I would presume this could be true at LPS, is that departments operate on an annual budget, and they feel very territorial about those dollars. Often, if they are not used, they will not get the dollars next time. That does not lead to an atmosphere of conserving and watching costs. It leads to an atmosphere of ‘we need to spend it or we won’t get it again.’
I bet there many small things that could be done to save real dollars when added up. Do they do energy audits? Do they analyze phone costs on a regular basis? Shipping costs? Supply costs? I work with a company that specializes in saving companies money - and it’s always done without cutting payroll.
If those efforts were considered and then it couldn’t be done, I would look at furloughs instead of layoffs, or four-day work weeks in some areas - two ideas presented in various forms just in today’s LJS.
I could go on and on, but I don’t want to bore anyone. I think that massive payroll cuts, or full programs being axed, would take a backseat for now, and only be used as final measures.
Gene says RE: Cutting Class (And Other Cost Saving Measures) November 6, 2009 at 3:24pm
They should cut back on the amount of grease they put in the cafeteria pizza.
Budget problem solved.
Mr. Wilson says RE: Cutting Class (And Other Cost Saving Measures) November 7, 2009 at 9:18am
Or they could use that grease to fuel school buses.