Teachers get creative under budget cut

FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. THAT'S HOW MUCH CASH NEEDS TO IMMEDIATELY BE CUT OUT OF THE BUDGET FOR R...  More »

FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. THAT'S HOW MUCH CASH NEEDS TO IMMEDIATELY BE CUT OUT OF THE BUDGET FOR RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS MUST NOW FIGURE OUT HOW TO CUT THEIR EXPENSES WITHOUT AFFECTING STUDENTS'EDUCATION. JEFF MAHER IS LIVE AT RIO RANCHO HIGH SCHOOL WITH OUR TOP STORY. JEFF? THIS IS A LETTER THAT WAS SENT OUT BY THE SUPERINTENDENT TO THE STAFF AT ALL RIO RANCHO SCHOOLS. IT TELLS THEM ABOUT THIS SERIOUS SITUATION - - WHERE THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID LAYOFFS, IS TO CUT BACK ON EXPENSES. 'it's not a simple solution, the legislature has to find more dollars to fund education'RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS FACED WITH A FOUR-MILLION DOLLAR PROBLEM. THE DISTRICT'S 107-MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET NEEDS TO BE REDUCED TO 104-MILLION DOLLARS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY LAWMAKERS'DECISIONS ARE TO BLAME. 'we're not getting funded adequately across the state, we're having a hard time with our budget because we're not getting the dollars we need to provide some of the essential services' PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO CUT BACK ON SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, REDUCE TRAVEL AND STIPENDS - - WHERE TEACHERS ARE REIMBURSED FOR TAKING PART IN AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. THEY'RE ALSO BEING URGED TO CUT BACK UTILITY COSTS, AND LIMIT OUT-OF- STATE STUDENT TRAVEL. CHRISTINA VAUPEL IS A PARENT AND A FORMER TEACHER, WHO SAYS TRYING TO MEET THE DEMANDS ON THAT LIST WON'T BE EASY 'tough to make those cutbacks - because they're cutting back what we need in the classroom, we need to be able to take our students and give them new experiences outside the classroom''if the budget is not there, it's just not there - and from a teacher's perspective, it's a bad place to be' COMING UP AT SIX - EXACTLY HOW ARE THE SCHOOLS CUTTING BACK ON UTILITY BILLS, WHAT SUPPLIES ARE BEING SHARED BY TEACHERS, AND WHAT PROGRAMS COULD BE IMPACTED BY THIS? YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED BY THE ANSWERS. LIVE AT RIO RANCHO HIGH SCHOOL. JEFF MAHER. EYEWITNESS CONSIDERING MEANWHILE, THE RIO RANCHO SCHOOL BOARD IS CONSIDERING BOUNDARY CHANGES BECAUSE OF PLANS TO ADD TWO NEW SCHOOLS. HERE ARE THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY CHANGES - WHICH COULD AFFECT BUS ROUTES. PARENTS CAN CHIME IN WITH THEIR OPINIONS. COMMENT CARDS ARE AVAILABLE AT RIO RANCHO ELEMENTARY OR MIDDLE SCHOOLS. THE BOARD IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION BY  « Less