NAMPA -- The Nampa School District will have to make cuts after they discovered a budgeting error last week that resulted in a $2.8 million shortfall.
Nampa Schools Superintendent Gary Larsen says it was cuts to administration at the district office that left his staff too small, resulting in a budgeting error and shortfall.
"It spread us thin. So from that spreading thin, human error came in," said Larsen.
Larsen says Medicaid and salary funding was over-estimated. Also, one-time state and federal funds were counted as revenue for two years.
"For the typical person it would be like making a deposit and then putting it in twice. So you have it in your checkbook twice, but you really don't have twice the money," said Larsen.
Larsen says their former budget manager turned in his resignation in February, leaving at the end of the school year. Larsen said that was maily due to family concerns, but that this mistake may have also somehow played a part. A new person will start in that position on Monday. To make up the budget difference the district will have to make some cuts, but Larsen says no one will lose their job or have their pay cut.
"No layoffs, no furlough days, we've been committed for four years to protect our staff. They're the foundation, the bedrock of what we do," he said.
Larsen says they'll save money by not filling about 39 open teaching positions, cutting funding for substitute teachers, slashing supply budgets by about half, reallocating some federal funds, and making some undetermined cuts in transportation.
"We made the error here. We need to fix it and earn it back," said Larsen.
The district says they don't know yet if teachers will need to be transferred to other schools to manage class sizes.
