$2.5 million for pay raises, $2 million hike in health premiums in draft BOE

By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

The first draft of a $124 million budget was presented to the Fayette County Board of Education Monday night by Jim Stephens, finance director for the school district.

The fiscal year 2001 budget is about $6.4 million higher than this year's midyear adjusted budget of $116.3 million. Stephens attributed the hike to a $2.5 million increase in health insurance, $2 million for teacher pay raises, approximately $500,000 in pay raises for classified employees and additional funds for new construction.

The figures are based on school officials' expectations of a 5 percent increase in the value of the local tax digest, while holding the line on current property tax millage rates.

School superintendent Dr. John DeCotis highlighted “what we're trying to do this year,” explaining plans to implement a unified salary schedule for employees, maintain and improve pupil-teacher ratios, buy new buses, continue with facility improvements and the current maintenance cycle, and build up a reserve fund to buy land and match state funds for a new middle school.

Judy Byrd, director of human resources for the school system, has requested the board's go-ahead to start hiring about 30 new teachers for the next school year. The largest number, 10, would be for special education classes. The next greatest need is for nine high school teachers, primarily in the schools' math departments, she said.

The total number of new teachers is “fewer than asked for in previous years,” Byrd said. “We're not adding a grade, we're not opening a school, and our maximum class size compares favorably to the goals set three to four years from now,” she said. The allotment formula for kindergarten with a paraprofessional (teacher's aide) is 1:19; grades 1-3 is 1:19, grades 4-5 is 1:24, grades 6-8 is 1:24 and grades 9-12 is 1:23. Currently, the county is off by one to two students based on the new state plan, according to Byrd.

The need to provide space for these teachers raises additional concerns. Byrd admitted that appropriate instructional space would be “very tight” in the coming year. Fayette County High School is one facility facing a major squeeze. There are 16 mobile units available for overcrowding, but placement presents additional problems on small campuses, school officials said.

The next step in the budgeting process is the presentation of department requests to the board at the next meeting April 17 at 7:30 p.m. The board also plans to take action on the request for teachers at that time.