Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Wendy Robinson recommends closing Elmhurst High and Pleasant Center Elementary at the end of the school year to cut $15 million from the district’s budget.

She is also suggesting a $6 million cut to teachers’ jobs, though officials would not say how many jobs would be lost. The FWCS board met Tuesday, and Robinson and Kathy Friend, the district’s chief financial officer, outlined how they want to slash the budget.

But their proposed cuts do not amount to $15 million.

Closing Elmhurst would save $1.5 million, and shutting down Pleasant Center would save $400,000 through administrative and utility costs.

Teachers would likely retain their jobs at different schools, Robinson said.

The district will conduct four meetings the week of March 15 for the public to comment on the recommendations. Details have not been set, but Robinson said one meeting will be specifically for Elmhurst parents and students, one for the Pleasant Center community and two for people to comment on general budget cuts.

The board gave unanimous consent for Robinson to move forward with the public meetings. It will vote on the recommendation during the March 22 board meeting, and if approved, both schools would be closed at the end of the school year.

“We need to be fiscally prudent and do what’s in the best interest of the community,” board member Kevin Brown said.

Elmhurst was selected among the district’s six high schools because of its limited academic offerings and a smaller enrollment that could be dispersed to other schools. North Side and South Side high schools were not considered because of recent multimillion-dollar renovations, Friend said.

Renovations have also been made at Wayne High School in the past two years to accommodate the New Tech program, she said.

Pleasant Center was recommended for closure because it’s among the elementary schools with the most available building space. Abbett, Nebraska and South Wayne elementaries also have space to house students, Robinson said, but closing Pleasant Center would have the least effect.

The three other schools are Title I schools, which receive federal money for low-income students in exchange for a host of regulations. Closing one of them would mean the low-income students would be assigned to other schools, possibly requiring those federal regulations to be followed at more schools, Robinson said.

Elmhurst and Pleasant Center were targeted for closure in 2007 as part of the district’s failed $500 million building plan. Elmhurst parents spoke out, and the board reversed its decision and decided to keep the school open.

The $15 million budget cut was prompted by Gov. Mitch Daniels’ $300 million cut to K-12 spending statewide to make up for dwindling tax collections. That translated to a $9 million cut for Fort Wayne Community Schools, coupled with an existing budget shortfall estimated at $6 million.

So far, district officials have identified $9 million in cuts, not including closing the schools.

The board announced last week it is freezing administrator salaries, saving $230,000, and officials have identified $2.7 million in cuts in various departments.

No specifics were given on the department cuts, which include Anthis Career Center, human resources, curriculum and technology.

Robinson and her team plan to work the next couple of weeks to determine the full effect of a $15 million cut and will present a final plan at the March 22 board meeting. That plan could include outsourcing services to private companies, such as custodial, payroll or the print shop.

Officials also plan to conduct a study on the middle school attendance areas to determine whether they need to redistrict students to balance enrollments or close a school. Portage was identified as the middle school with the most building space not used.

District officials spent the first two hours of the three-hour meeting explaining why budget cuts needed to be made. They also explained how most of the situation is the result of state regulations, not their own fiscal mismanagement.

“This is not trending toward being a situation that will be over quickly,” Robinson said. “They’re bold cuts, but we also want people to believe they’re necessary.”

Robinson also pointed out that the cuts are permanent, and they do not expect K-12 funding to be restored.

“We really are looking at a new base from where we’re going to start. It’s not coming back,” board member Steve Corona said. “To do nothing is not an option. We cannot delay.”

ksoderlund@jg.net