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Spotsylvania schools superintendent says some positions will be lost Date published: 1/12/2010
By PAMELA GOULD Spotsylvania County Superintendent Jerry Hill says it will be "impossible" to protect all staff positions in the next budget with state revenue projected at $11 million less than he originally anticipated. Three months ago, Hill anticipated the school division would see a $3.2 million shortfall for the next budget, which begins July 1. But yesterday, Hill sent a memo to staff and parents predicting a $14.2 million decrease in state revenue for the fiscal 2011 budget based on data included in outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine's budget. The latest figures come as Hill prepares to present his fiscal 2011 budget to the School Board next Tuesday. The school division's current budget is $271.6 million, down $7.2 million from last year. In anticipation of a brutal budget cycle, Spotsylvania School Board member Amanda Blalock said she's arming herself with information. She already has the teacher salary scale, and staffing and salary data on administrators earning $100,000 or more from reports recently published in The Free Lance-Star. On Friday, she asked school officials for data on middle management positions at the central office. "Given the budget season we're in, I would be remiss not to overturn every stone," Blalock said yesterday. Hill noted in yesterday's memo that 87 percent of last year's budget went for salaries and benefits. And he noted that over the past two years the division has cut 200 positions but avoided laying off people thanks to attrition and a new early retirement program. "Every effort will continue to be made to minimize class-size increases; protect employee positions; and avoid permanent reductions in employee salaries," Hill wrote. "However, with the $14.2 million in reductions we're facing, it will be impossible to protect all staff positions in the division this year." School Board member Ray Lora dreads the decisions he faces. "We're going to have a terrible time putting this budget together this year because it's inevitable we're going to be cutting programs we cherish," he said. But his biggest pain concerns personnel. "There are two things I consider sacred," he said. "One is laying off teachers and another is cutting their salary." Board member James Gillespie expressed the same priorities. "It's going to be very difficult," Gillespie said. "But those are things I think are very important." Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 1/12/2010
whey do we have to make up every day other day of schol we miss for snow or somthing like that,Answer chartwells needs paid 180 a year not less,They was very upset least year they was only 179 days of school= to about 50,000 to them.do we not get like 5 days for snow and them after that have to make it up? whats this every other day deal.
And i my self think thats why school is starting earlyer now for chartwells .not the sols
is that way we are required to go in on time and start cooking?on a 2 hr delay.like last week food was beening made all ready when school was closed.And at times or late days we have to fix. breakfest.then the kids leave the lunch room and in 15 mins they are back for lunch.that is really made for the dumster when the kids are full.They also get a free load every week from the goverment.Where to we see a didcount from chartwells for each truck load every school gets? do we have a problem here? YES
How about if no one in the county bought lunch for a week. Would they have to extend the school year to pay the bill? Or would the millions of dollars the federal government throws at Title I pay for it?
RE: agreeing w/ fredcitizen & brightheart - very well stated! Yes, board members ask for details on expenditures and except nothing less. Please, wise up! AND, just as important-after you approve the budget monitor it and make sure the $$ is spent how it was approved!
poor financial management and no accountability for how our tax dollars are spent. We as citizens need to take a more active role in our county gov't - attend bd mtgs & hold our leaders responsible. An interesting future article would be seeing how much the schl sys spends between Mar-June to avoid turning money back in to the county - does that practice justify wasteful spend &- how much of that goes to the classroom? Praises to Blalock for looking at middle mgmt-why always cut the little people?
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