Wednesday, February 25, 2004
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
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Budget fears dominate school board business By J. FRANK LYNCH Uncertainties about the 2005 budget continued to dominate Monday night's meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education. In giving the monthly financial report, Finance Director James Stephens said it's becoming increasingly clear that the struggle to maintain the level of service expected by Fayette’s residents from its schools versus the funding realities from the state will be a difficult one in coming months. “We’re going to have to make some changes in every area of our operation as well as hike up the mileage rate again,” Stephens warned of the upcoming budget process. “But that's the price we have to pay to maintain the kind of school system we like to have here.” Stephens is projecting a $7.3 million loss in operations revenue from the state in the coming fiscal year, not counting a potential $5-$7 million in additional losses that could come from cuts in transportation funding, fair-share funding or new school school construction costs. More concerns lie in the proposed changes to the state’s curriculum, and what the out-of-pocket costs would be to the district. Superintendent John DeCotis said that new textbook purchases and curriculum changes didn't necessarily coincide, but that nobody was sure what would be required. Frustrating Stephens is the state’s noncommittal attitude toward “mandates” such as maximum classroom sizes. The problem is worse in smaller, rural districts where tax money is scarce, said DeCotis. He reported on a lawsuit brought against the state by a group called the Consortium for Adequate School Funding, which mainly involves a group of South Georgia districts. DeCotis said Fayette County could join in the suit, but it was unclear what the benefit would be. Such lawsuits have not historically been successful nationwide, and besides, the cost to the district — at $1 per student enrolled — would be more than $21,000. Personnel director Judy Byrd asked for and got the Board’s approval for tentative staff allotments for the 2004-05 school year, based on the projected enrollment and the anticipated lowering of student-teacher ratio requirements by the state. The Fayette County school board committed to staying one step ahead of the state in classroom size. In other words, if the state lowers the requirement by one, as expected, the district will lower its maximum class size by one desk further. “The number of new regular education teaching positions and paraprofessionals required will be significantly less if the current class sizes remain the same,” Byrd told the board. She is asking for 2.5 more counselors and media specialists, 21 regular education teachers, six special ed teachers, 10 parapros and three clerical workers. Those numbers would be halved if the state leaves classroom size requirements the same for next year — a difference of $840,000 in salaries and benefits for Fayette schools. “We would hope the state would compensate for that,” said Stephens. Replied Byrd jokingly, “As always, Mr. Stephens is being overly optimistic.” DeCotis said that according to the state, “We’re already receiving that money.” Board member Marion Key then pointed out that the salaries of 250 local teachers are paid for entirely on the local level. With an additional grade added at Whitewater High School next fall, 23 more teaching positions will be created there. But many of those slots will be filled by transfer positions from Fayette County High, Byrd said. Board member Janet Smola wanted the language of the resolution approving the new staffing hires to make it clear that the positions were tentative, pending the final determination from the state. “We don’t want to hire a bunch of people and then not have jobs for them,” she said. Byrd said that wasn't the intent, but rather it would allow her staff to begin wading through the potential new hires “while the applicant pool is still strong.” Board Chairman Terri Smith called it “astonishing” how expensive it can be to adjust the classroom sizes when ordered to do so by the state. “Fayette County schools have traditionally maintained lower classroom sizes, and I want to be clear that we intend to continue to do so, but the state must help provide the funding for that,” said Smith. The five Board of Education members and key members of DeCotis’ staff traveled to the state Capitol Tuesday to meet with the local legislative delegation to address that matter and other concerns. DeCotis said their message had two main points: “Give us the funding,” he said, “or give us some flexibility to spend the money you do give us in the ways we think are best.” In other business Monday, the board: • Approved the hiring of Claude W. Campbell of the Clayton County school district, who resides in Fayette County, for the new position of coordinator of safety/discipline/athletics, based out of the LaFayette Educational Center. He replaces Harry Sweatman. • Recognized both Robert J. Burch and North Fayette elementary schools as “2004 Title I Distinguished Schools” for achieving five straight years of “Adequate Yearly Progress.” • Approved a low bid for the purchase of metal lockers for Whitewater High School. • Approved a resolution authorizing the sale as “surplus property” some 40.92 acres on Lester Road originally considered for a high school; about 10 acres were leased last year to the Fayette Family YMCA to a future indoor swimming pool. • Approved field trip requests for J.C. Booth and Rising Starr middle schools, and Sandy Creek high school. • Gave approval for one employee each to attend the following overnight conferences: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, March 18-22, New Orleans; National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention, March 30April 2, Dallas; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference, April 20-24, Philadelphia. DeCotis said the staff development budget had been trimmed back tremendously in the last year to limit the number of overnight conferences, but that the system still felt it worthwhile to send at least one person to key meetings to keep abreast of the latest changes in curriculum.
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