AURORA, Colo. -- The Aurora Public School District finds itself forced to cut $31 million from the budget before next school year and now the board is tasked with some very tough decisions in the months ahead.
While there are dozens of ideas laid out on the school district website listing items that can be cut and how much they will save the district, some won’t be very popular for parents.
“[We're looking at] Eliminating free full day kindergarten and providing half day kindergarten, another thing that we're looking at are different changes to the staffing ratio that we have,” said Patti Moon, the district spokesperson.
The budget shortfall is partially the result of lower enrollment, said Moon. For years, the district has been growing, but that growth has reversed itself in recent years, Moon added.
"Over about a ten-year period, we grew by more than 8,000 students. Over the past few years, we've seen a shift in our enrollment and now a decline and that's what we're working to respond to."
With three public meetings in the books and one more scheduled for next week, the district is asking for help deciding where to cut money from those who live in the district.
“I think people appreciate having a place to come to, look at all of this information, as their questions and submit their feedback,” said Moon.
The next public meeting is set for Tuesday, January 31 at 6 p.m. at Vista Peak Exploratory.
The final budget will be presented at the May board meeting and adopted during the June board meeting, Moon said.
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