No dots yet. The first Rapid City Area Schools' community budget meeting was held Monday night in the Dakota Middle School auditorium - the same place where board members made multimillion-dollar cuts last year by sticking large dots onto an oversized list of programs taped to the wall.

"I think some of you were sitting in the exact same seats you were last year," assistant superintendent Katie Bray told the audience of about 55.

But Monday's meeting, the first of three this week, varied widely from last year's, which was in May and right before the deadline for a preliminary budget.

This year, budget director Dave Janak told administrators in August that due to revenue shortfalls the school's budget for 2009-10 could be $2 million less than this school year. To balance the budget, staff and administrators have been instructed to cut 5 percent - about $4 million - for the 2009-10 school year.

A list of cuts has not been made public yet, and Monday's discussion centered on the possibility of raising local property taxes by opting out of state-imposed tax limits. Bray said administrators are still working on the cuts by submitting proposals to Janak, who can determine how close the district is to the 5 percent goal.

"I expected to hear more about proposed cuts and I didn't hear that," Rapid Valley teacher Lynn Arnold said following the meeting. "But, I did learn about the opt out."

Peggy Bias, a Stevens High School teacher, asked Janak about what an opt out would cost a taxpayer.

Janak said if the district did an opt out for $4 million, it would add $46 in yearly school taxes on a $100,000 house. On agriculture property valued at $100,000, it would cost $41 a year. For $100,000 commercial property, it would cost $98 a year.

Another key revenue source is state education aid. Because of the national economy, Gov. Mike Rounds and legislators have said they must determine what the state can afford to provide schools.

Kelly Lane, a former Douglas school district teacher whose children once attended Rapid City schools, said an opt out won't pass.

"You've got a snowball's chance in a very hot place," he said. "Keep dreaming. And even if it did, it's still a Band-Aid. "

Lane said part of the funding problem is that there are too many school districts in South Dakota.

"I'm sad, because this district does a good job for a lot of kids," he said.

He said he hopes the conversation continues to be open between administrators and staff.

"I hope that during this process, there is frank, open input from district employees, without repercussions," he said. "Some have been censured for statements."

Curt Pochardt, a substitute teacher in the district, said people can't afford to pay higher taxes. He said cuts should be away from the classroom - and support for an opt out would come easier if cuts were made to central administrative offices.

"There's not a lot of respect for CSAC (City/School Administrative Center)," he said. "People will support you when they see 300 Sixth Street leading the way. The relationship between building staff and CSAS is disharmony, and it's getting worse."

Former board member Eric Abrahamson said the first question people need to ask themselves is not whether they do or don't support an opt out, but whether they believe the community has a responsibility to weigh in on budget cuts.

Arnold agreed. "The community has to be given the opportunity to invest in their children's future," she said. "They need to know that it's the price of dinner and a movie."

Except for president Sheryl Kirkeby, the entire school board attended Monday night's meeting. Board member Arnie Laubach said the cycle of cutting won't end unless the community comes together.

"We find revenue or we continue dismantling the second-largest district in the state," he said.

Board member Bret Swanson asked when a list of cuts would be available.

Bray said administrators don't want to release information early and cause a staff panic when they don't know the direction of the board yet. She said one of their concerns is having staff hear about proposals in the media when district administrators have not had a chance to meet with them individually.

"We do want to be humane," she said. "… We're talking about teachers' lives, and we don't want them reading about it in the newspaper."

Following the meeting, Bias said she understands their concern, but said administrators should be more specific about cuts because they already have said they expected everyone will have a job next year.

Janak during the meeting repeated that any staff attrition can be achieved through retirements and others voluntarily leaving their jobs.

Rapid City Education Association co-president Nancy Kroeger said the earlier that officials can be specific, the better, because teachers can't wait until May to start job hunts.

"Individual employees need to make decisions about where they're going to be next year," she said. "You usually don't wait until April or May."

She said everyone wants more information.

"Everything is in limbo right now."

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com

Meeting schedule

Remaining community meetings on the Rapid City school budget:

Today (Tuesday): 6 p.m., North Middle School

Thursday: 6 p.m., West Middle School