MICHIGAN CITY | Dozens of coaching positions in the Michigan City Area Schools are being cut in a continuing effort to close a $16 million budget deficit.
Forty-four mostly assistant coaching positions were eliminated Tuesday night by the school board.
"This is one area we asked for help," School Board Vice President Jim Kintzele said.
No head coaching jobs were cut.
Mostly assistant coaching positions in sports such as basketball, baseball and volleyball are being trimmed in all of the grade schools, middle schools and high school.
Assistant coaching positions also are up for removal in areas such as cheerleading and intramural sports, he said.
Kintzele said the cuts would save the school corporation about $100,000.
"It shows we're going to have to make cuts in everything. Pain for everybody," Kintzele said.
About $1.6 million previously had been cut by eliminating more than 100 positions within the school corporation.
Most of the jobs previously cut involved classroom assistants, secretarial positions and maintenance personnel.
Some administrative positions also were eliminated but very few teachers were laid off, Kintzele said.
According to school officials, the biggest step taken to close the deficit was the $8 million sale of Joy Elementary School to a building corporation.
That generated cash flow for the district, which now is leasing the elementary school from the building corporation.
Kintzele said other cost-cutting moves already taken include outsourcing preschool programs to private child care groups, such as Imagination Station and YMCA, which have obtained grants to help offset the expense of those programs.
He said more cuts are possible before the proposed $67 million dollar budget is brought up for a vote, which is expected at the Oct. 9 board meeting.
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