As the tight budget situation persists, local school officials are compelled to come up with solutions that could slightly soften the damage done by cuts. This process is often slow and difficult, and as each solution’s effects take hold, the urgency of creating a balanced budget persists.

Dexter Community Schools has been presented with a plan, however, that may help provide some relief to the district's ever-tightening funds.

Presented by Superintendent Robert Glass at a meeting on Feb. 8, the proposal outlines plans to consolidate the Community Education Department and the Athletic Department, forming an entirely new department.

These two departments may seem unrelated, but Principal Kit Moran maintains that this consolidation will benefit the district's funding situation.

According to Moran, the goal of the proposal is to help offset the consistent losses of the Athletic Department by combining it with the more profitable Community Ed Department. Creating one department out of two would also decrease personnel, thereby saving additional funds.

As a whole, the new department is projected to be much more cost-effective than the status quo, according to Community Ed Director Barbara Bell.

“For the 2010-2011 school year the expectation is that the ‘new’ department will generate an additional $216,000 in revenue,” Bell said.

Despite the consolidation, the new department will still have separate functions and sub-areas but will operate as a single entity, according to Glass.

The amalgamation of the department will also result in the conception of a new director’s position. According to the job posting on the Dexter Community Schools Web site, the new “Athletic and Community Services Director” will be responsible for implementing a plan that will offer “an array of athletic, enrichment, preschool, club and after school care activities.”

Additionally, the new director will oversee facility rentals and related fees and schedules. According to Glass, this person will have authority over the CPA and all district facilities with the potential to bring in revenue.

Bell said under the current proposal, she and Athletic Director John Robinson will both be present in the new department in their respective areas. Although Glass said the position may exist with the same responsibilities as the athletic director, it will have a different title.

The school board is going to be involved in budget matters and the selection of the new director, but the creation of the new position is strictly an administrative decision, according to Glass. He said the board will likely approve the administration’s nomination for the director job, once extensive searches have been conducted and a qualified individual selected.

“They have to approve who we we hire,” Glass said. “But not whether we create the opening.”

The Squall is the student newspaper at Dexter High School.