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Local educators urge Houck to protect education funding Date published: 1/10/2010
BY CHELYEN DAVIS
Local educators say they hope state budget cuts for education can be made temporary, and that school systems can be given greater flexibility in distributing funds. Teachers, administrators and school board officials filled a room for a two-hour meeting held yesterday by state Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, at Germanna Community College's Locust Grove campus. Houck, who sits on the Senate's budget-writing Finance Committee, called the meeting to talk about cuts the state will be making to deal with an expected $4 billion shortfall in the 2011 and 2012 budget years. Outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine has submitted a budget proposal for those years that caps school support staff positions and makes other budget cuts to both K-12 schools and colleges. Houck's meeting drew school superintendents and school board members from several area localities, along with teachers and parents. For the most part they and Houck were on the same page; none of them wants the cuts that Kaine proposed. Houck and others said that cutting school funding is shortsighted, because a good education system promotes a good economy. Several people said lawmakers shouldn't pretend that the cuts won't impact classroom instruction. "This absolutely does damage to the classroom experience," said Madison County teacher Marc Lebendig, who talked of the number of jobs that would be cut. "To think that isn't going to devastate the educational experience is foolish." Several people protested against making permanent changes to the Standards of Quality, which is the formula by which the state determines what it will pay for in local schools. Educators said they don't want SOQ changes that are made to help balance the budget now to become permanent parts of the SOQ formula. An example of that would be capping the number of support staff that the state helps pay for. Kaine has proposed such a cap, because there's a cap on the number of teachers the state will help localities pay for, and he believes similar limitations should apply to positions such as school counselors, nurses and administrators. Orange County schools Superintendent Bob Habermehl said Kaine, as well as incoming governor Bob McDonnell, have "vilified educational support staff and administrators" while not discussing the state and federal mandates that often lead to those support staff being hired.
Stafford stands to lose about $9M and that translates to about 450 classroom related support positions. It is time for parents to wake up and contact their elected representatives in Richmond. Do you think local gov't will pick up the tab?? Is education a priority for Virginia or not? $9M is how much VDOT saved by closing rest stops! Toilets or teachers!!
hace we ever had a year mr H way happy with what the school got. talk about crying wolf.well the wolf has bit him in the bud
will our BOS stop approving new subdivisions and new growth? I doubt it. It's easier for them to blame Richmond and keep taking handouts from the developers.
The secretarys do all the work at the the bloated central office Keep the workers let the bloated paid ones go.I think Mr Hills secretary woul do a better job them him she at least makes since when you talk to her.And the school board can go they just for the most part bow to mr Hill.So hes the dog anything he says goes.out with all that bow to him.
How many support staff does it take to run the company from the UK chartwells
not to many more then we the schools did it them selfs. and most of them are the same people.Chartwells should go.Its a waste of money to baby sit them.the school should do it them self like before.then the teachs will not be asked to back lunch funds with what they make.
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