Eliminate Supervisors, Panel Recommends

The Bonner County School District has too many administrators and doesn’t spend enough money in the classroom, a citizens committee told school board members Tuesday.

The eight-member committee requested the district eliminate three area-supervisor positions, equivalent to assistant superintendents, and replace them with a curriculum director.

“This district is in dire need of a (standard) curriculum,” said committee spokesman Mike Boeck. “We can’t do a budget when we don’t even know what books to buy.”

Among the committee’s other recommendations:

Adopt the state salary schedule for teachers, which would result in some pay cuts.

Don’t open newly built Kootenai Elementary School, because the district can’t afford to operate it.

Maintain funding for extracurricular activities at current levels.

Hire no consultants or speakers for teacher seminars.

Cut attorney costs in half.

The state Department of Education is sending a team of advisers next week to investigate the district and help it with budget and personnel problems.

The team will also investigate the Special Education Department and Director Bob Howman. He is under fire for alleged ethical violations and overspending his budget by $180,000.

Boeck said the committee’s recommendations will anger some people, but the goal is to cut bureaucracy in the district.

“The idea is to drive the dollars down to the schools and the students. We want to build a legitimate budget from the bottom up.”

, DataTimes