By Lori EhdeLuverne School Board members voted unanimously at their Thursday, April 14, meeting to cut funding for all day every day kindergarten."It breaks my heart to do it," said board member Cary Radisewitz. "But we can’t keep cutting into the muscle of other areas in the district. … Fiscally, our job is not to look after just those 100 and some kindergartners, but all 1,300 students."The state funds a half-time kindergarten program for public schools, and for the past five years, Luverne School District has subsidized – at about $120,000 per year – the other half for a full-time program.When Luverne’s full-time program started five years ago, the legislature was considering funding full-time kindergarten, but since then, funding for education hasn’t kept pace with expenses, let alone cover new programs.In order to compensate for rising costs and shrinking revenues, the Luverne District has cut more than $646,000 in all areas of the budget in the past five years.For example, when Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff left the district two years ago, then-middle school principal Stacy Gillette assumed that role, leaving high school principal Gary Fisher to serve as middle school and high school principal.This move saved the district $73,663 per year.At the same time, when Jan Olson filled a middle school teaching position, her previous responsibilities as curriculum coordinator and alternative school director were assumed by Gillette and Superintendent Vince Schaefer, respectively.This saved the district $40,453 per year.Other retirements haven’t been filled, classes have grown bigger and the district has been getting by with less in general. To illustrate the fiscal reasons for cutting Luverne’s full-time kindergarten, District Finance Officer Marlene Mann recapped other cuts at the board meeting. Since 2001, for example, the district:oReduced sections in third and fourth grade to save $80,000 per year.oWent from two media specialists to one to save $48,168 per year. Kim Schmidt now shares his time between elementary and middle school-high school libraries. oCut the elementary art specialist to save $22,000. Art projects are now covered in regular classrooms.oCut an elementary computer teacher to save $25,000oCombined the high school business and computer teaching position to save $22,412oCut the high school industrial arts program to half-time to save $22,000Superintendent Schaefer said flatlined state funding and rising costs, such as fuel and health insurance, will force another $235,000 in cuts this year.Cutting all-day kindergarten will save $120,000 per year, and shifts in staff development funds could bring an additional $100,000 to the general fund, Parking fees, busing changes and elementary music and phy ed offerings may also be considered as potential ways to recoup costs, in addition to several other options presented at Thursday’s meeting.Board member Bill Stegemann said he regretted cutting the kindergarten program Thursday. "There’s not one of us here who, if there were other choices, would take this choice if we didn’t have to," he said."In the state we’ve been a leader in education, and it’s a sad day that we have to take action like this. It’s a product of our governor and our legislature."