Lakeville Schools: Cutting Deans Off Table, Counselors Now on Block

For now, it appears the Lakeville Area Public School's long-standing "dean system" at the middle and high schools is safe from being cut as part of a $3.5 million belt tightening the district must undergo.

But with one thing being plucked from the list of cuts, something must be added, and the School Board is now pondering the elimination of four of the district's eight elementary school counselors.

The most recent proposal was the subject of a two hour work session on Tuesday where a number of items were discussed—both to be added to the list of cuts, or removed.

"We just can't make ends meet," said Linda Swanson, the district's communications coordinator told Patch earlier in the week. "Cuts have to take place. Right now, with declining enrollment—it's just the situation we're in."

The cutting of secondary deans was the most controversial item on the list of adjustments, but would have trimmed $450,000 annually. For 20 years, Lakeville's used the dean model—where students and families have one-on-one contact with a dean for student issues from schedules, post-secondary planning, and counseling.

All told, Lakeville has 14 deans across five secondary buildings and 12 of them would have been cut. In its place a principal/vice principal model with a counselor at each building would have been implemented, but the board couldn't stomach that.

Instead, the board added the trimming of four elementary school counselors, which will save the district $300,000 annually.

In addition, proposal by the eight elementary school principals to retain four learning specialists was also accepted. The $300,000 annual line-item is going to be made up for by cutting 2.77 full-time equivalency physical education teachers, and a few smaller line items.

Remaining on the chopping block: one of the two full-time high school athletic directors, up to eight full-time to-be-determined teaching positions, the technology support specialists in the middle schools, as well as the district's coordinator of technology, and a host of other line items such as transportation reductions and the sale of school district owned land.

Even with all of that, another $335,000 remains to be trimmed to meet the district's financial needs—a topic that will be revisited at the board’s March 12 meeting.

As for public input, the board will have a public hearing to gather input at 6:30 p.m. on March 19 at Kenwood Trail Middle School. The board will pass a final list of $3.5 million in adjustments on March 26.