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Layoffs don't hit Evansville schools as hard

EVANSVILLE — Thanks to Evansville's diversified workforce, the school district won't suffer the dramatic enrollment drops and staff cuts other area districts are facing, District Administrator Heidi Carvin said.

"We are fortunate to be in very good shape," she said. "We've not really been hit with an exodus yet."

The district is budgeting for next year assuming no increase in students, issuing layoff notices for:

-- One part-time art teacher.

-- One part-time physical education teacher.

The district also might cut the hours of a part-time music teacher without eliminating the position.

The notices are not a final decision. The positions can be recalled even after the school year starts, Carvin said.

The district also might make staffing adjustments between buildings depending on class sizes, she said.

Enrollment this year is 1,836, and Carvin said a conservative estimate for fall is about 1,820.

The closing of the General Motors assembly plant in Janesville hasn't had as much impact in Evansville. Surveys show 59 percent of the city's working adults commute to a job in Dane County.

"I tell people we're 26 miles from everywhere, which makes us a good place," Carvin said.

Although the required number of 15 students didn't sign up for half-day kindergarten, space is getting tight in the lower grades. The kindergarten to fifth grade buildings—Levi Leonard Elementary School and Theodore Robinson Intermediate School—are pretty much at capacity, Carvin said.

Because interest in half-day kindergarten fell short, the district is sending letters to parents to discuss alternatives, she said.

The long-range planning committee has recommended buying land on the city's growing west side, she said. The district is discussing land options but won't release sites because of possible negotiations, she said.

The district is determining whether to use a consultant for the site selection, and one consultant, Mike Huffman of Huffman Facility Development, will attend the next buildings and grounds committee meeting.

"We're not moving real fast on it," she said of a land purchase, "but we're moving all at deliberate speed."