Three months after Columbus voters approved an operating levy designed to prevent cuts to the Columbus public schools, superintendent Gene Harris Tuesday announced officials are planning to cut the budget.
Harris says unforeseen costs increases are forcing the cuts. She blames rising employee benefit costs, pay raises, and an increase in the number of students choosing to attend charter schools for the budget imbalance.
To bring the budget into balance, Harris says officials are considering increasing class sizes, eliminating some administrative staff positions, making cuts to the summer school program and streaming lining some bus routes.
Harris says the Columbus Public Schools are making the tough decisions that every organization must make in tough economic times.
Harris says officials did not anticipate the cost increases when voters approved the school levy November 2nd.
She says she hopes to make the staff cuts through attrition rather than layoffs. The board of education begins its budget deliberations in April.
