URBANA – Community members spoke Tuesday night in support of several positions and programs that could be cut from the Urbana school district.
A public forum on budget cuts had a packed house. Many spoke in support of Janice Mitchell, the district’s parent outreach coordinator. Her position is one that could be eliminated.
Others spoke in favor of Latino community liaison Lucia Maldonado, the C-U One-to-One mentoring program, and the minority enrichment program at Urbana High School.
The district must cut $2 million from next year’s budget. Urbana is owed $2.4 million from the state now, and it expects a decrease in state funding next year, although it does not yet know how much.
The school board will begin talking about the potential cuts at a special meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Burkholder Administrative Service Center, 205 N. Race St., U.
Residents can complete a survey about budget cuts on the district’s Web page, at http://www.usd116.org. Superintendent Preston Williams said between 350 and 400 people have completed the survey so far.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services