Gov. Sonny Perdue Wednesday sent a letter to Georgia school superintendents announcing his intention for the state to grant school systems flexibility in how funds are spent during the state’s current spending reduction plans.

This will allow superintendents to use innovative solutions to manage their systems during the state’s current budget situation.

Earlier this year, Perdue revised the FY09 budget estimate and asked for 6 percent spending reductions from most state agencies and a 2 percent reduction in the funding formula for school districts.

With Wednesday’s letter, Perdue informed superintendents that he intends to take the following steps:

· Requesting that the State Board of Education grant all reasonable class size waiver requests during the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years.

· Introducing legislation as part of his 2009 legislative package to temporarily relax the expenditure controls in site-based direct instruction, media center, and staff development controls. This will give more flexibility to determine how best to spend the funds that have been allocated. Under the governor’s proposal, this legislation would make the relaxed controls effective July 1, 2008 and the relaxed controls would continue in force until June 30, 2010.

“I trust these proposals will help give school systems some additional tools for addressing the challenges confronting all of us,” wrote Perdue. “I have discussed these proposals with the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House, and I look forward to working with them to address these issues during the 2009 legislative session. I will continue to work with legislative leaders, the State Board of Education and the state superintendent of schools to ensure that local school systems are given the flexibility they need.”

Similar steps were taken during the economic downturn earlier this decade.

The text of the letter to superintendents is below:

Superintendents, as you know, the state’s current budget situation is challenging us all to find innovative solutions to the revenue downturn. The Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch are committed to working together to make the challenge less difficult for local school systems. Therefore, I have authorized and will implement the following steps:

1. I have requested that the State Board of Education grant all reasonable class size waiver requests during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. The Georgia Department of Education will be sending a memorandum to all local superintendents explaining the steps that will be taken to work with superintendents during this challenging time.

2. In January 2009, I will introduce as part of my legislative package temporary waivers of the expenditure controls found in OCGA §§ 20-2-167 (site-based direct instruction, media center, and staff development controls) and 20-2-184.1 (additional days of instruction controls). The legislation would make the waivers effective July 1, 2008 and would continue in force until June 30, 2010.

I trust these proposals will help give you some additional tools for addressing the challenges confronting all of us. I have been discussing these proposals with the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with them to address these issues during the 2009 Legislation Session. I will continue to work with legislative leaders, the State Board of Education, and the State Superintendent of Schools to ensure that local school systems are given the flexibility they need.

Sincerely,
Governor Sonny Perdue

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