Odessa will cut staff

    ODESSA—In addressing the 2012-13 budget, the Odessa-Montour school board is cutting eight positions.
    Superintendent Jim Frame said district is facing a $497,000 budget gap, which is after fund balance and reserve money is used to offset the total.  Frame said the cuts include: three retirements and six additional reductions.  He added the district is also adding 2.5 positions.
    “We have five people affected in total,” said Frame.  “The board doesn’t want to do it, I don’t want to do it.”
    He explained the majority of the district’s costs are personnel.  Other cuts will affect class sizes.  Frame said grades will be reorganized to have two sections instead of three.
    In developing the budget, the district is also limited to what the tax levy increase can be.  The state has a tax cap formula in place that determines each school’s levy increase limits.  Frame said Odessa-Montour will stay at two percent.
    “Nothing is final until the board adopts the budget,” added Frame.
    Odessa-Montour is holding another meeting on the budget, Thursday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hanlon conference room.