By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The Niles Board of Education and Niles Community Schools administrators met at Southwestern Michigan College on Thursday for a long-range financial planning workshop.
Niles Superintendent Doug Law called the eight-hour meeting the longest and hardest financial planning meeting he has had to attend since being superintendent.
The workshop included district administrators giving presentations to the board on possible budget cuts in the future. Law said no decisions were made at the meetings, but he does not anticipate any cuts will be made for this school year.
The meeting was intended to look at the projected financial condition of the district and the information will be used to begin working on budget cuts for next school year.
Law said non-instructional areas include things like bus routes and the supply budget.
The district will be working on a budget plan for the 2004-2005 school year for the next two months and will present the budget to the board in May. The deadline for announcing teacher layoffs for next year is April 15. If it is decided that teaching positions need to be cut it will be announced at the school board meeting in April.
Law said it is a very challenging time because of continued state budget cuts and increasing expenses.