Send more ideas to A Better Way, Administrative Services Center, 7th floor.

Last spring, MPS asked employees for ideas to help reduce the budget. They were submitted through A Better Way, a district Web page. A number of the suggestions were implemented. Many focused on reducing or eliminating supplies. As a result, MPS made the following changes:

• The Transportation Department reduced fuel costs by using a routing system to plan trips more efficiently and to reduce idling time. Transportation also saved about $1 million by adjusting school start times so a driver could cover more routes each day.
• District and department newsletters are now online to save money and paper. A small number of copies are printed for employees who do not have computer access.
• MPS no longer provides water and other refreshments at meetings and workshops.

Many recommended a reduction of employees who did not teach students in a classroom. In the past two years, MPS reduced the total number of classified, certified and administrative employees at school and district levels. In addition, some staff were moved to positions paid by federal funds or grants, thus saving money for the district’s regular budget.

During the last quarter of the 2008-09 school year, MPS cut back on substitute teachers. Those short-term vacancies were covered by other teachers at the school or by certified staff from district offices. Savings for the nine-week period totaled $500,000 – the equivalent of almost 10 teaching positions.

There are many more ideas from employees that could be considered for the 2010-11 budget, since the state is likely to further reduce school funding.

A number of suggestions centered on closing or consolidating schools to save money. Others proposed moving ninth-graders to high school and/or sixth-graders to junior high. This year, through the Defining the Future initiative, the district is looking at “repurposing” some schools to expand programs for current MPS students and charter school students. The district plans to conduct community meetings in November to review proposals and obtain feedback.

In addition to money-saving suggestions, respondents shared ideas about raising revenues by asking students to pay athletic fees, and for employees to pay part of their individual health insurance premiums or increased co-payments.

Other ideas included reducing energy costs by eliminating personal appliances, watching heating and cooling temperatures, and cutting back on the number of times rooms are cleaned and vacuumed.

The school board and superintendency appreciate the ideas and encourage employees to continue sending comments via district mail to:

A Better Way, Administrative Services Center, 7th floor