The board must cut $272,298 from the proposed 2008-09 budget. That was the amount budgeted with the intent of the ISL being approved.

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Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt presented a timeline to the board that complies with applicable state law and master contract language regarding staff reduction. The meetings are open to the public.

At the first meeting, Monday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m., Wendt will present his recommendations for further program reductions due to budgetary concerns and defeat of the ISL on March 18.

At the second meeting, Monday, April 7, at 7 p.m., the board will accept public input on the recommended program reductions and approve program reductions.

"This will give the board an opportunity to discuss the recommended reductions and to take public input on those reductions," Wendt said.

With those two meetings set, the board and administration will then be able to issue notices of termination to employees impacted by program reductions on April 8.

According to Wendt, the last date for employees noticed of intent to terminate to request a hearing with the board is April 15, with termination hearings, if requested, would be held on April 28.

Board president Mark Stelzer noted that no definitive vote would be taken on March 31.

"We want everyone to know it (the reductions), have a chance to digest it and have a week so the public can respond," Stelzer said of the March 31 meeting.

Board member Patrick Murphy addressed those in the audience, thanking them for their attendance and encouraging them to attend the special meetings.

"I will be meeting with the people involved in those programs that will be on the recommendation list next Monday so they will be aware of it," Wendt told board members.

"I belive it's worth it to comment, for myself and probably the whole board, that we had said without the instructional support levy, we were faced with no choice but to reduce programs and maybe individuals," said Stelzer. "That's what we're being forced to do now because the will of the people by the majority was 'cut the programs we will not pay the extra money', so we're going through with that. We have to do it."

Murphy added, "I've said this many times before and I'll say it one more time. We can make it through this 08-09 fiscal year budget. We're going to cut this two to five hundred thousand dollars here in the next two weeks and it's going to happen. The issue however, still will remain, and that's going to be in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, and thereafter.

I don't ant to do these kind of cuts every year for the next five years. Obviously we're going to have to do something with a shrinking population," he said.

The vast majority of school districts in Iowa have the instructional support levy, Murphy pointed out. "in fact the only districts that don't have it are districts that are growth districts and substantial growth districts, and they would never have it," he said. "The purpose of the ISL is to give you a cushion to slowly pull back the reins of the ship when the student population goes down. Without that safety valve we're in trouble," said Murphy.

"I'm not going to mask that I'm disappointed. I'm terribly disappointed," Stelzer said about the defeat of the levy. "But we also have to do the decrease in budget so as to comply with what was mandated to us, whether we agree with it or not."

Board members unanimously approved the timeline and meeting times.