Budget ax looms over frosh sports

A drastic layoff scenario has been slightly reduced at Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, but they are still eyeing numerous programs to either scale back or eliminate.In the wake of the recent passage of the state budget, some local class sizes will need to increase as a result of layoffs. One high-profile proposed cut, a scratching of high-school freshman athletics, is still on the table. Cutting advanced courses, such as in drama or foreign language, will happen on a scale less than feared."Right now, we are looking at issuing about 50 layoff notices," said Patrick Godwin, district superintendent. "The good news is it went from 150 or 200 down to 50."The school district will wind up slashing $10.4 million in spending to stay afloat in the state's current cash crisis. Up to $1.5 million of that could be saved by increasing class size."The federal stimulus package, giving us $1.6 million, really helped us," Godwin said. Schools also got "significant flexibility" in using money previously restricted to arts programs, he said."We had been funding music ourselves," Godwin said. "They have taken off an 'only-music' restriction, so we have an excess to solve other problems."Plans call for pushing average class size up in high schools from around 32 students to 35, and from 30 to 32 in fourth through sixth grades. School parent Peggy Martin said she was comfortable with class sizes the way they are, saying 30 is good for fifth-graders and 20 is commendably low for second-graders."Class size is always a big concern, for obvious reasons — kids not getting attention," Martin said.School parent Rob Martin, no relation to Peggy, said he believed small class size is overrated in education."Put two kids in a class, and if they don't like the teacher, they won't learn," he said.But he said his own high-school freshman year was filled with athletics and that a cut there didn't sound wise."I played frosh football (and) baseball," he said. "The sporting thing brings in money, and all the equipment is already there. Schools are supposed to be for kids. If you take away sports, or creative arts, you're chipping away at what schools are supposed to be for. Do fundraisers if that's the answer."Godwin said the district will try to take its cue on frosh athletics from surrounding districts."We might bring it back depending on what people around us do," he said.The potential $1.52 million saved by teacher cuts is the highest single amount envisioned among more than a dozen budget areas.Second-highest is a cut in counselor services, and right behind that is the scratching of freshman athletics, with projected annual savings of $65,000 and $62,000, respectively. A busing-fee hike from $260 to $360 also could bring in an additional $62,000."These are all things we hope to be able to mitigate before we adopt a budget in June," Godwin said. "A little help from the state, a little help from the stimulus package and maybe a little help from our own employee associations."