COLUMBUS, Ohio -
High school bussing and middle school athletics will remain in Columbus City Schools after the district announced that it will receive more funding than originally anticipated from the state.
According to Jeff Warner, spokesman for CCS, the district will only have to cut $15 million from the budget, rather than $25 million, for the 2013-14 school year.
According to the district, the state funding estimates given to the district weeks ago did not include transportation funding.
Now, the district will get an additional $25 million on top of the already-allocated $4.2 million, for a total of $29.2 million.
As a result of the announcement, district officials said that at Monday night's board of education meeting, it will be recommended that the following items be removed from the list of possible budget reductions:
- The elimination of high school bussing
- The elimination of middle school athletics
- The elimination of COTA bus passes for freshmen and sophomores, and
- The removal of a period from the middle and high school day.
The district says it will not be cutting 103 teaching positions.
It was previously announced that $506,000 would have been saved by dropping all middle school extra-curricular activities, including sports.
The shortened school day would have reportedly saved the district $8.3 million.
The elimination of busing would have saved the district $4.2 million.
The news is a welcome relief for the district, but officials said they are still cautiously optimistic.
Superintendent Harris added nine Central Office administrators to the cut list but said that they would not be reducing the gifted and talented program. She also stated that the art programs will not be cut but some of those programs will be consolidated in some grades.
The school board will be looking at consolidating administration space and look at ways to reduce the costs of vacant buildings owned by the district.
There were no final decisions made at Monday night's meeting on what cuts should be made, but the school board anticipates budget reduction recommendations by May.
Several board members declined to comment until they have more information about the funding.
