Troy considers consolidating administrative positions

The Troy School Board may consolidate administrative positions in a cost-cutting effort to address ever-shrinking funding from declining enrollment.

The board met with Troy Superintendent Brady Selle at a lunch meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of combining administrative tasks to avoid hiring a replacement for Troy High School Principal Jeff Ralston, who is resigning at the end of the school year.

“Primarily we were looking at options for how we can streamline our administrative positions,” Selle said.

The board discussed having elementary school principal Lance Pearson fill the high school principal position, and delegating some of Selle’s work so that he can take on both the superintendent and elementary school principal roles.

“We looked at the possibility of combining the three administrative positions into two,” Selle said, “maybe sharing some of the other responsibilities such as transportation director and curriculum director.”

Troy schools have experienced a steady decline in enrollment since 1996, Selle said, and numbers are projected to continue falling, reducing the school district’s funding.

“We graduate 40 this year,” Selle said, “and there’s only 29 eighth-graders.”

The principal’s salary and benefits cost the district about $83,000 per year, Selle said. Converting two full-time positions into one wouldn’t save the district that entire amount, in lieu of other potential costs, such as additional office personnel hours, but Selle believes it would still cost considerably less.

The district is also cutting teaching positions through attrition, Selle said. A position at the elementary school and a position at the junior high/high school will not be replaced next school year because of small class sizes.

“You try to make across-the-board kinds of cuts and decisions,” he said. “You have to look at management, as well, when you’re cutting workers.”

The district must plan for more funding cuts in the future, Trustee Steve Garrett said.

“I’m looking at it from the viewpoint that we’re not in a district that’s going to see increases in enrollment down the road,” he said. “… And we’re not going to be affecting the classroom if we go the direction we’re talking about going.”

Garrett said that combining administrative positions is part of a trend seen in small school districts throughout the state that are facing similar enrollment challenges.

“If we do (make the change), we need to consult with them to decide how they made the consolidation,” he said. “We can look at other districts and emulate some of it so it’s advantageous to us.”

Trustee Darren Coldwell said that board members had some concerns but the overall tone of Thursday’s meeting was positive.

“Our enrollment numbers are shrinking so you have to be creative,” he said. “Some tough decisions have to be made.”

If Selle and Pearson are up to the challenge, Coldwell believes the district should give it a try.

“This is the perfect time if it’s something they want to do,” Coldwell said. “We’ll give that a thought and if it doesn’t work in a year we can hire a high school principal.”

The board will likely discuss the idea further at its monthly board meeting next Monday, Selle said. If the board decides to hire a new high school principal, it must begin screening its 16 applicants.

“It’s a decision that has to be made real soon because we’re right in the middle of hiring a high school principal,” Selle said. “It’s not fair to keep those people hanging.”