Omaha Public Schools reacts to budget crunch

A bleak financial future means reductions in staff at Nebraska’s largest school district. Omaha Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dennis Poole says after crunching the numbers from this year’s budget and looking ahead, they will likely have to reduce some staff.
Poole says they intend to keep as many instructional programs in place as possible but they will be examining other programs and review them in the next several months.
The cuts are necessary due to a drop in federal stimulus money. Poole says right now, that amounts to 15-percent of the 2010-11 aid the district receives from the state. That amounts to about a $26-million reduction out of that one revenue source.
The exact number of layoffs is not yet known or what programs will be eliminated. Some of the cuts will involve already vacant positions and through attrition.