Board OKs superintendent's proposed budget as official revenue request
Carroll
County Times
Posted:
Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 12:06 am, Thu Feb 28, 2013.
By Alisha George Times Staff Writer | 1 comment
The Carroll County Board of Education approved an unchanged
version of the Superintendent’s Fiscal Year 2014 Proposed $330.2 million
Operating Budget after heavy debate whether to amend the $166.6 million county
budget request.
Board President Barbara Shreeve proposed amending the proposed
budget to remove the elimination of three central office positions before its
adoption at the Board of Education meeting Wednesday. The proposal was defeated
in a 3-2 vote.
Chief Financial Officer Chris Hartlove presented the
superintendent’s budget, which was largely unchanged since its January release.
The only difference was the release of preliminary state numbers that indicated
more than $3 million less than last year in state revenue.
“We are cautiously optimistic that there are possible legislative
remedies,” he said.
The FY14 budget includes a 1 percent increase in revenue from the
county, or about $1.7 million more than the previous fiscal year’s revenue.
Even with that increase, the FY14 budget outlines more than $2.6 million in
budget cuts.
The reductions already in the budget include 20.5 full-time
equivalent custodial positions that were cut through attrition, four central
office positions, staff turnover and a Carroll Association of School Employees
agreement to work fewer days.
Even though there are possible legislative measures that could
soften the blow of the potential state funding decrease, it is still unlikely
the state will flat fund the school system, which is what the budget outlined,
according to Superintendent of Schools Steve Guthrie.
“Probably in the best case scenario we’re going to have to reduce
some based on state revenue,” he said.
Hartlove proposed four choices to the Board of Education before
they voted to approve the budget request. He said they could either approve the
budget document as is; acknowledge there will likely be some reduction in state
revenue and request additional funding from the county; acknowledge there will
likely be a reduction in state revenue and make some additional cuts rather
than wait to do it in May; or look at adding items back into the
superintendent’s budget and ask for additional revenue from the county or make
additional cuts.
Board member Jim Doolan said he was not prepared to add any cuts
back into the budget, but Shreeve disagreed.
“We need to ask now for what we think we will need,” Shreeve said.
“This is the time to speak up.”
Shreeve made the case that the board should vote to amend the
budget to no longer seek to cut three central office positions — the
Coordinator of Youth Development and Service Learning and two workers at
Channel 21. Rather than make the cuts for a $230,000 savings, she suggested the
several year phase-in of other positions listed in the budget, such as the
addition of math resource teachers.
She and Seidel were the only board members to vote in favor of the
amendment.
The Coordinator of Youth Development and Service Learning is
responsible for supervising the Carroll County Student Government Association
and managing student service learning.
“I just would really hate to see the student service piece and the
student government piece not get the attention it needs,” Shreeve said.
Board Vice President Gary Bauer said the school system previously
had the math resource teachers that are added back into the FY14 budget and are
just now getting them back into schools.
“I cannot accept not getting them back on board,” he said.
Board member Virginia Harrison said there are still a lot of
unknowns when it comes to what revenue the school board will receive.
“I don’t want to see us add these things back and then have to cut
even more,” she said.
Since there have been 155 positions cut in five years, more work
has fallen back on the employees whose positions remain, Guthrie said. The
school system could be looking at $6 million additional cuts in May depending
on the final funding it receives from the county and state, he said.
County Commissioner Doug Howard, R-District 5 and ex-officio
member to the Board of Education, said that it is unlikely that the Board of
Education will fully receive the requested $166.6 million.
“$164 [million] seems to be the high number that we’re talking
about,” he said. A $164 million revenue from the county would be the same level
of funding as the school system received last year.
“Our plan at $164 million should not have been taken as anything
more than that. I don’t even know where we would go to find that additional
money in our budget as it stands right now.”
School system employees could leave because they are being
overworked and not paid enough, Bauer said. He suggested that the county raise
taxes.
“You say you only have $164 [million], you have more than $164
[million],” he said. “We’re a wealthy county and I’m tired of hearing we don’t
have the money.”
Board member Jennifer Seidel said constituents have told her that
they do not want to see another tax cut at the expense of education. She was
torn because she was elected to ask for the revenue needed to run Carroll
County Public Schools, but the Board of Education may not be asking for what’s
in the best interest of the school system, she said. Her hands are being tied
by people who don’t support public education, Seidel said.
“I feel like I’ve been put in a really bad position because I know
we need more than what we’re asking for,” she said.
Student Representative O’Reilly Miani said it is the Board of
Education’s responsibility to stop hurting those whose positions are being cut
and those who are left behind.
“If we want to ask for what we need, why are we letting our hands
be tied?” she said. “We’re hurting our school system.”
Doolan said times are tough and the school board and county
government are not on the same page. He suggested that rather than add to the
request, the board fight to get the requested $166.6 million.
As a board member, Doolan is responsible for advocating for
children and understanding that the school system is spending tax dollars, he
said.
“I still believe we’re not asking for what’s ideal, but we’re
being responsible and advocating for kids,” Doolan said.
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