The Lampasas Independent School District faces a money crunch, and even though about $1.5 million was slashed from the budget through cuts at each campus, a staffing audit identified a number of personnel reductions that could go a long way toward helping the district.

Superintendent Randy Hoyer said 47 positions have been identified that could be eliminated over the next three years through retirement and attrition. The reductions began with the recent resignation of Assistant Superintendent Tony Peter.

“We are restructuring, so we will not be bringing his position back,” said Hoyer.

Other positions to be vacated are expected at the high school and middle school, among paraprofessional staff and campus clerical support. From transportation to custodial, every department will experience a reduction in force, said the superintendent.

“We are not firing people or running them off. We will reduce numbers through attrition and retirement.”

Hoyer, though, has requested the creation of several new positions. Combined with previous approval for hires of assistant principals at Kline Whitis and Taylor Creek elementaries, that should round out the LISD’s staffing, he said.

Hoyer is looking to hire a district instructional technologist to work with teachers in the classroom as a tool to help deliver better instruction. The hire will work with all grade levels as well as the director of technology to improve the LISD’s instructional programs.

“This is an important position to overall enhance our instruction and improve our test scores,” said the superintendent.

In addition, Hoyer hopes to add two curriculum specialists, one each for the elementary level and secondary grades with an emphasis on math and science because that’s where a majority of the district’s students are struggling, he said.

The two hires would work directly with Nancy Yeary, recently named as the new assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

“They would be like master teachers,” said Hoyer of the soughtafter curriculum specialists. “They would have a proven background in teaching. They would be veteran teachers with a history of being able to move students successfully from one level to the next, and be able to work on curriculum and design and go into the classroom to work directly with teachers and to observe students at work.”

Hoyer said the bottom line is to improve students’ test scores, and he believes the new positions would go a long way toward that goal.

The superintendent also would like to hire a PEIMS specialist. PEIMS -- the Public Education Information Management System -- is an important financial position for a school district. Currently, the job is handled by the LISD’s director of technology, but hiring a specialist would allow the technology director to focus more on technology.

“We’ve got some significant financial issues we are facing with a tight budget,” said Hoyer. “While we are looking to reduce by about 45 positions, I would like these new hires. In addition, in about a year I would like to have five interventionists to work with students with special needs.”

Even with the new positions Hoyer would like to see, the LISD would end up with a net reduction of about 35 teachers at a savings of from $800,000 to $900,000 over a three-year period.

Though LISD trustees unanimously approved Hoyer’s request for the four new positions, trustee Wesley Crow questioned how long the district should wait prior to hiring them.

“We cut buying buses, and we cut here and we cut there, but when we cut and don’t hire people, and it could be detrimental to our kids and their education, we need to look at that pretty quickly,” Crow said.

The board member said the LISD has money in its fund balance, and he would like to see the personnel hired sooner rather than later.

LISD Board President James Briggs reiterated that budget woes are beyond the district’s control.

“LISD has a healthy fund balance because it has been frugal with spending over the years,” said Briggs. “But the state has frozen the funding level for public schools at the 2006 level, and the only way to generate more money is if enrollment increases or we raise taxes.”

Briggs said the LISD shouldn’t expect much relief following upcoming legislative sessions either. “They have not allowed for inflation, teacher pay raises or a cost adjustment when the price of gas went up.

“We don’t expect a lot of help from the state.”