Little Rock School Board has to cut $10 million from budget

Little Rock School Board has to cut $10 million from budget from next year's budget. Thursday night, board members talked specifics during a budget work session.

With enrollment expected to drop by 1000 students next fall, the LRSB needs to trim $10 million or three percent from its budget.

“It's not a major cataclysmic event, but it's a difficult event,” says LRSB member Jody Carreir.

After pouring through the proposal over the past few weeks, board member Jody Carreiro is confident cuts will not be made in the schools. But to save one and a half million dollars, Superintendent Dr Linda Watson proposes converting Woodruff Elementary into an all pre-k school.

Something the board must come to decision on soon. “I am holding the pupil enrollment form where they choose what schools. It was supposed to be in the 16th so i'm holding it just two or three days til i can get a vote from the board,” Watson said.

Carreiro feels strongly about making cuts to central office positions before cutting teacher salaries and reducing the number of staff in schools.

“To keep it as far away from the students as possible. I don’t think it’s going to be easy but I do think it’s realistic,” Carreiro said.

The Little Rock School Board meets next Thursday night. The proposal for next year also includes combining bus routes. Cutting the contracts of salaried employees by 10 days and charging some students for pre-k classes.