11 percent increase?
Spotsylvania school chief's plan asks county for $9.5 million more than last year
By BILL FREEHLING
Date published: 1/18/2005
By BILL FREEHLING
Spotsylvania schools eye 2006 budget
Spotsylvania's top school administrator proposed a budget last night that asks the county for a $9.5 million raise next year.
Superintendent Jerry Hill proposed to the School Board what he called a "realistic budget" for the fiscal year starting July 1.
His budget calls for a host of new expenditures--including additions to a half-dozen schools, nearly 70 new teachers, 24 new buses, and a 3 percent raise for most school personnel.
The price tag? About $257.9 million for the general education fund. It's about $232.8 million million this fiscal year. That's an 11 percent increase.
Hill's proposal asks the county to fund $104.7 million of the cost. The school district is getting about $95.2 million from the Spotsylvania supervisors in fiscal 2005.
The state would pick up about $84.3 million. The rest would come from a combination including federal money, revenue from sales taxes, and loans and bonds.
Last night, Hill told the School Board the county can provide $3.4 million of the requested $9.5 million increase if the 86-cent property-tax rate remains the same.
That would leave the county to provide the school system with another $6.1 million.
Hill says it's a necessary investment to prepare Spotsylvania's children for an increasingly competitive world. He said he's optimistic the budget "should be funded, could be funded and will be funded."
Personnel costs make up the bulk of the increases for the school system, which is expected to add 1,100 new students for a total surpassing 24,000 at the start of the next academic year.
Salaries for new personnel would add $3.8 million. Raises for current staff would be another $6.6 million--which includes the 3 percent and other adjustments designed to keep teacher pay competitive.
Other significant increases include about $2 million for employee health insurance, $1.9 million into the Virginia Retirement System, and $2.3 million for materials and textbooks.
Hill noted that a budget review committee has met seven times since October and has already cut about $8 million.
There'll be plenty more opportunities to consider further trimmings--or more add-ons.
The School Board will hold a series of budget work sessions over the next few weeks. A public hearing is scheduled Jan. 24. The School Board will probably vote on its budget Feb. 14.
After that, the plan will go to the county supervisors, who will determine funding.
Hill has already begun making his case.
"It needs to be a budget that meets the needs of students, not adults," he said. "And that's what we've done."
To reach BILL FREEHLING: 540/374-5424 bfreehling@freelancestar.com
Read more stories about Spotsylvania
Date published: 1/18/2005
|
Star Directory
