The Associated Press | Posted: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 12:00 am
PHOENIX (AP) - Colorado City School District's administrative staff has been cut in half, its 52 credit cards canceled and half of its 18 vehicles, authorities.
According to a report made Monday to the state Board of Education, the staff cuts and disposal of property are part of a state takeover triggered in December when the board found the district had "grossly mismanaged" its money.
The 378-student district sits in a remote community on the Arizona-Utah line that is home to several polygamist religious sects.
State-appointed receiver Peter Davis also cut the district's 35 cellphones down to seven and closed a 60,000-square-foot office building, where only 10 staff members were working. That should save about $70,000 a year in utility bills.
Davis also cut 27 non-classroom employees to about 14, which is expected to save about $450,000 by the end of next school year.
The district's airplane will be auctioned next month.
Eventually, Davis wants to raise the $17,000 starting salary for teachers.
The district has an operating budget of about $2.2 million. But it owes the state $360,000 for budget overruns, has a bond debt of $1.2 million, and owes $1.3 million to the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust, which has been helping it cover checks.
Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com