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Two of seven Spotsylvania School Board members say they can't support cutting middle school sports to balance school budget Date published: 1/27/2010
BY PAMELA GOULD
Spotsylvania School Board members Ray Lora and Amanda Blalock say they'll vote to keep middle school sports off the budget chopping block. "I would not support a budget that cuts middle school [sports]," Lora said at the end of the School Board's meeting late Monday night. Lora's comments followed more than two hours of public comments about next year's budget, the majority of which pleaded for the board to maintain the school division's middle school sports program. As part of $14.7 million in cuts in next school year's budget, Superintendent Jerry Hill has proposed eliminating middle school and freshman sports, saving $194,087 and $32,238 respectively. Blalock said there has to be better solution. "Let's find the middle road, possibly pay-to-play or something," Blalock said. "I could not support completely abolishing the program." She asked that school activities directors form a committee to look at ways to cut costs and generate revenue, with an eye toward making those teams self-supporting. At the board's request, staff is evaluating ways to save those sports and will report at the next budget work session on Friday, Hill said. The seven-member board could decide then if it needs more information. "If we don't reduce that program, we are going to cut more people," he said. Hill's proposal calls for cutting 131 positions, a vast majority of which work at the school level. Several parents at Monday's meeting urged the board to look at cuts in administration rather than school staff, one suggesting specifically that cuts should be made "from the top down." Hill acknowledged those comments as did board member Marty Wilder, a dean at the University of Mary Washington. "I understand picking on administration because salaries are higher at those levels," Hill said. He added that he felt administrative salaries making up 1.8 percent of the payroll was "pretty good." The top 40 school division wage earners all have salaries over $100,000 and account for $4.6 million of the payroll. Wilder defended the school division administration by saying wars aren't won without generals. "Those of you who think we should just punish administrators because they're administrators should think about what leadership does to produce results and quality," he said. At last Friday's work session, he offered similar comments, but also expressed his embarrassment over the school division's math scores. However, among the few positions outside the classroom slated to be cut are two math specialists. Board member James Gillespie said he would prefer not to cut sports or teaching positions but said he was resigned to both. "I do not have a choice," he said. "I have to make a cut somewhere." Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 1/27/2010
Budgets reveal priorities and the proposed budget doesn't do enough to cut outside of the classroom for me to believe the claims that students matter more than central office staff and test scores. The 1.8% admin costs figure misleads because numerous "admin" jobs in CO are classified as instructional even though the jobs have little impact on teaching, or are filled by folks so long out of the classroom they have lost touch.
Cut allowances. Cut cafeteria paperwork; cut the chefs. Every $ saves teachers
ITRTs work in the classroom with teachers to use the technology in lessons. SYSOPs make sure the hardware and software are working properly. With so much to maintain that in itself is a full time job. One person could not fill both roles.
All middle and high coaches being full time teachers because I know for a fact MANY who are NOT. For instance one school had a reg. subsitute for a while and then he became a coach. He couldn't get a job in the Spotsy School system so he moved away. TRY AGAIN...
http://www.spotsylvania.va.us/departments/finance/index.cfm?doc_id=459 The schools are included in these reports as a "component unit'. In Stafford the County and schools have seperate independant audits.
Eliminate Two SYSOPS and
Two ITRTS
(4) ($190,247)
i always wondered why the schools stocked 1 itrts and 1 sysops; seems that those two positions could be merged into one.
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