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• school. If not, each principal will be asked to recommend which teacher assistants will not <br />return, using performance as the primary criteria. <br />The Board of Education has not endorsed this recommendation. Later in the budget process, <br />the Board will consider this possibility along with many others that are under consideration. <br />Furthermore, with state revenues lagging behind projections by 2-3%, we have been advised <br />to prepare plans fora 3% reduction in our state budget, which would translate into an <br />additional $1.7 million reduction. <br />We also anticipate a reduction in our ESL teacher positions due, primarily, to the loss of a <br />federal grant. In this recommended budget we do not make any provision for funding or <br />retaining these ESL teacher positions. The recommended budget would keep the Welcome <br />and Newcomer Centers open. <br />It is quite possible that due to revenue shortfalls the state will make further cuts in our <br />allocation. In this budget analysis we do not make provisions for further reductions. If they <br />occur, we will have to identify additional areas for reduction. <br />Expansion Requests <br />Knowing the economic climate, we did not encourage schools and departments to spend <br />much time on developing budget requests. We received a request for $140,000 from the IT <br />Division and school requests totaling $255,241. We also received a plan for expanding the <br />Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate Program, but this would be funded through private grants. <br />• We have included two expansion budget items. The only budget request from schools or <br />departments that is included in this recommended budget is fora 20 percent increase in <br />custodial supplies, at a cost of $52,985. For years, schools have been running deficits in this <br />account. With the many reductions that schools have had to make in their non-personnel <br />budgets, they can no longer solve this shortfall by transfemng funds from other areas. <br />We also are recommending the creation of three high school Instructional Resource Teacher <br />positions; one for each comprehensive high school. The IRTs' sole responsibility will be to <br />support and enhance the quality of instruction in the high schools and, thereby, raise overall <br />achievement levels and close the achievement gap. They may not be given any assignments <br />except those related directly to instruction. Our current level of administrative staffing in our <br />high schools doesn't provide the time that is needed to work effectively with departments, <br />PLC teams, assessment, struggling teachers, and implementation of new instructional <br />programs and effective teaching practices. These positions would be staffed by certified <br />teachers and paid for 11 months on a teacher salary schedule. The budget for these three <br />positions is $270,000. <br />We are going to reallocate some of our state funds in the budget for at-risk students (Program <br />69). As a result of using the cost-saving model implemented last year to hold down the costs <br />of summer school, we are allocating $210,000 for the comprehensive high schools to use to <br />transition rising ninth graders to their schools ($80,000 for CHHS, $80,000 for ECHHS, and <br />• <br />5 <br />