Dowagiac Board of Education Monday night eliminated five central office positions, including Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Hal Davis and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Patti Brallier, reduced teaching positions by 12 and wiped out guidance services.

Counselors will be reassigned to classroom teaching.

In addition to the assistant superintendents, the Wolverine building loses the accounts payable/receivable secretary and two other secretarial positions.

The reduction of 12 teaching positions include two due to retirement, one due to resignation and nine from layoffs.

Other items include reducing extra-curricular positions, athletic costs, cell phone reimbursements and “more to follow as the budget reduction process continues,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel said.

“As with any reorganization, the effectiveness of this reorganization will become clearer as it is fully implemented. If any gaps appear in the education program, we will fill them with a single multi-task person.”

Also, Daniel said from the stage in the middle school Performing Arts Center, “In an effort to reduce costs, Dowagiac Union Schools will continue to share services with the City of Dowagiac, Cass County and Lewis Cass Intermediate School District. However, even with all these reductions and cost-saving measures, the budget will still require the spending of at least $1 million from the fund equity (rainy day fund).”

“These are unprecedented times regarding K-12 budget reductions,” the superintendent said. “Furthermore, it is projected by state leaders that this is not a short-term phenomenon. There will likely be several more years of trying to balance school budgets based on diminishing student aid funding from the Michigan Legislature.

“The challenge is to make the whole Dowagiac school system more efficient while at the same time increasing student success, graduation rates and state-mandated test scores. As this reorganization progresses, it means we will have to work harder with strong staff, board and community support. I am ready to lead that effort.”

Daniel began by noting that during the 2010-11 school year more than $1.8 million was sheared from the district budget — “largely due to reduced funding from the Michigan Legislature.”

“This coming year,” he continued, “Dowagiac Union Schools is anticipating an unprecedented deficit of $2.1 million, primarily because of the reduced funding from the Michigan Legislature. In spite of this reduced funding, Dowagiac Union Schools must, by law, adopt a balanced budget.

“Since 75 to 80 percent of the Dowagiac Schools budget is salaries, regrettably, most of these cuts must come from staff reductions. Not only must budget reductions occur, but spending some of the fund equity to balance the school budget is necessary.”

“The real consequences of the Michigan legislative budget reductions are budget reductions at the local school level,” he said before revealing his budget recommendations arrived at “after many weeks of studying the problem.”