As K-12 school budgets are being cut statewide, the Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education finalized over $2 million in budget cuts for fiscal year 2010-2011 in March.

“Anytime we cut personnel, it’s dramatic,” said school board President Dave Tomlinson. “It’s harder on the personnel themselves because losing your job through no fault of your own is difficult no matter what.”

He said three directors were cut, as well as a special education administrator and five teachers.

“Every person or service on that list has value to the district,” said Beth Shepperd, assistant superintendent for human resources. “The area that is hit hardest is going to be administration because that is where the majority of the cuts came.”

Tomlinson added that every time cuts are made this time of year, the RIF, or Reduction in Force, notices are traumatic. A RIF notifies a teacher their employment is ending, although many are hired back the following year when state funding is finalized. Tomlinson said a RIF may also consider a teacher’s seniority.

“One of the directors I know in a position that we eliminated had been around long enough that the person is also a tenured teacher, so had rights to go back and teach,” Tomlinson said. “They went back to teaching and ended up bumping a new teacher out.”

Jori Kovarsky, senior in Education and student teacher at Lincoln Trail Elementary in Mahomet, said she was considering applying for a teaching position in Champaign, but has reconsidered due to budget cuts.

“A lot of teachers have been RIFed and will get rehired for next year,” Kovarsky said. “I’m moving back to Chicago if there are no openings in the nearby districts.”

Tomlinson said one of the biggest funding issues across the state of Illinois is pre-K or childhood funding, but Unit 4 will keep the programs despite financial uncertainty.

“Some of our positions are dependent on state grants – for example, our early childhood center – and that is probably the area where we have the greatest concern,” Shepperd said. “While no school district is required to have an early childhood program, we know that early intervention is key to the success of many students.”

Tomlinson said the budget for 2011-2012 will still be undetermined until the summer.

“We certainly know what our tax base is going to be, but it’s hard to say what the state aid will be,” Tomlinson said. “We’re like everyone else, we’re owed several million dollars and if the state budget picture doesn’t get any better, I would expect that to increase.”

Shepperd said the cuts were kept as far away from the classroom as possible.

She added that programs valued by the community such as band and strings and foreign language have been preserved.

“Locally, our taxpayers are doing everything they can, they’ve been supporting the schools, and we’d like to see the state do their part,” Shepperd said.