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News National Academy members speak in Danville on uranium02/06/12 - 7:53 am
Comets win Poetry Out Loud02/06/12 - 7:51 am
Looking back at 112 years of Virgilina history02/06/12 - 7:48 am
Happy birthday, Virgilina! Few people know it, but the town will be 83 years old this February. According to the first town council minute book, Virgilina was incorporated and its…
Sports Comets fall to Patrick Henry02/07/12 - 9:43 am
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News 20-30 school job cuts likelySoVaNow.com / March 08, 2010
School board members on Thursday night began the arduous task of crafting a budget for the upcoming school year. With conflicting information coming out of the General Assembly in Richmond, trustees face a complex situation since the House of Delegates has proposed one budget, while the State Senate is proposing another.There is a difference of some $700,000 between the two proposals, with the Senate budget being more generous towards Halifax County than the House version. While conferees from the House and Senate will work toward a consensus budget this week, Superintendent of Schools Paul Stapleton indicated that he feels the House version will probably garner the most support. Tobacco Commission spurns request for school funding aid “As a school system, you’ve never seen losses of state money like this,” Stapleton said. According to School Finance Director Bill Covington, the House budget calls for $33,889,855 in state funding for Halifax County Schools, $3,726,599 less than the schools are receiving the current fiscal year that ends June 30. The Senate plan calls for $35,281,864 in state education funds in the 2010-2011 budget cycle, a reduction of $3,050,068 from the current year. Neither the House nor Senate versions of the budget replace $2.3 million in federal stimulus funds that the local school division received last year. Halifax County was counting on a similar amount of stimulus funding in the FY2010-11 budget, but instead the money was used to close state budget deficits in the current fiscal year. While school officials have braced for cutbacks approaching $6 million or more, it appears the level of cuts will be considerably less owing to a decision by both the House and Senate to reduce the pension obligations of local school systems. Both budgets would reduce employer contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) — by nearly $2.8 million in the House plan, and $2.1 million in the Senate plan. The move means that Halifax County schools may be able to limit layoffs to no more than 30 employees, in addition to some $2 million in program cuts and other savings. Breaking down expected revenues, the House version includes no lottery money, no funds for enrollment loss or At Risk programs, no funds for Early Reading Intervention or At Risk 4 Year Olds and no money for technology. It does, however, list an $823,123 Lottery block grant which may be used at the school system’s discretion for the At Risk, Early Reading Intervention or Pre-K programs. That decision would have to be made by the local school trustees. The Senate version includes $79,285 in Lottery funds and $72,084 for enrollment loss and another $891,017 for At Risk programs. The Senate plan also includes $94,748 for Early Risk Reading Intervention and another $535,198 for At Risk 4 year olds as well as $284,000 for technology. One of the biggest differences in the two plans lies in the area of fringe benefits — funds for VRS, FICA and SGL expenses. The House bill includes $2,912,843, down only $31,931 for the fringe benefits, whereas the Senate bill includes only $2,110,993, down some $833,781 from the current year. Each budget also requires school divisions to pay less towards retiree pension costs. Lowering VRS rates, Stapleton explained, means the school system will not have to pay as much into the state retirement system for the coming year. But it will affect the retirement plans of new school hires (not current employees) who come on board on or after July 1. Retirement pay for employees hired after July 1 will be based on an average of their last 60 months of payment rather than the current average of the last 36 months. It also means that retirees will have to have a combined 90 years — 60 years old with 30 years of service — whereas current employees can retire at the age of 50 if they have 30 years of service. Covington outlined recommendations for cutting $2,055,123 in operating expenses — that is, non-personnel costs. His suggestions include eliminating $200,250 in professional improvement funding such as tuition assistance; $30,000 for travel for instructional personnel; $200,000 in instructional materials and supplies; $53,561 for library books, supplies and periodicals; $340,000 for textbooks; $75,000 for Governor’s School; $116,312 for At Risk Four year olds; $20,000 for administrative office supplies; $10,000 for administrative travel; $100,000 for vehicle and power equipment fuel; $40,000 for motor vehicle replacement; $65,000 for repairs and maintenance and another $175,000 for contracted repairs and maintenance. “We won’t be doing any roofing, paving or asbestos removal. We will just do what we have to keep the schools open,” Covington said. Another $75,000 might be cut in heating services, $10,000 in the replacement of machinery and equipment; $75,000 in the original purchase of machinery and equipment; $400,000 in technology initiative spending and $70,000 in school food service equipment. Bus replacements would be carried out every 15 years, rather than every 12 years as currently done. And the student-teacher ratio would be raised by one student per class. These cuts, Stapleton said, could be handled for a year or two, but not for long term. However, these cuts would not affect any school personnel. Looking at how to make the further reductions, Stapleton said if the House budget becomes permanent, 33 personnel cuts would have to be made while the Senate version would require only 20 personnel cuts (both based on an average $50,000 annual salary and benefits). Stapleton said it is the hope of the School Board that natural attrition and retirements will take care of many of those cuts, with replacements not filled unless absolutely necessary in core subjects. But he noted that there have been 61 positions eliminated through attrition in the previous two years and thus far only four employees have indicated an interest in retiring this year. School trustees went into closed session to begin their discussion on personnel cuts and made no public announcement following the closed meeting. Stapleton said the Board is not likely to complete its budget work until March 31, just in time to present to a package to Board of Supervisors by the April 1 deadline. He said until the General Assembly finishes its work on Saturday, March 13, there will not be enough information to draft a budget. The end of the General Assembly session, he added, could be delayed if state legislators cannot agree on a budget. Tell-a-Friend | Submit a Comment 25Halifax News
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