Center Grove school district forced to trim budget

With fewer students than expected, Center Grove officials plan to make cuts, including eliminating some classroom aide positions.

The school district faces a shortfall of about $740,000, with much of that loss due to a drop in enrollment of more than 100 students from what officials had projected.

In fact, six fewer students are attending Center Grove schools this year than last year, which is a rarity for the largest school district in Johnson County.

In order to make up for the loss, the school district plans to spend some of its savings. But in order to keep a certain level of savings, the district also has to cut about $230,000, or less than 1 percent, from its operating budget.

School officials are still deciding how to make those cuts, but one possibility is eliminating some classroom aide positions because fewer should be needed since the schools have fewer students, said Paul Gabriel, the district’s chief financial officer. No layoffs are planned, and schools would eliminate unfilled positions and not hire new aides when others leave, he said.

Other cuts also would be necessary, but what those would be has not been decided, Gabriel said.

The main reason for the shortfall is from lower than expected student enrollment this school year.

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