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Fayette School Board approves furloughs for some employeesWed, 01/28/2009 - 12:56am
By: Ben Nelms
It was simple math Tuesday night as the Fayette County School Board voted unanimously to furlough a number of school system employees before the end of the fiscal year June 30. The measure will create $303,200 in budget savings that will offset a projected $240,332 deficit for the same period. Those asked to take voluntary furloughs include principals, assistant principals and central office administrators, coordinators and directors who work under either a 210-day contract or a 240-day contract. Those unaffected by the furlough vote include employees such as teachers, parapros, bus drivers, school nutrition staff, counselors and media specialists. The 210-day employees are asked to voluntarily take four furlough days, equal to 1.9 percent of their annual salary. Those with a 240-day contract would take five furlough days, or 2 percent of their annual pay. The savings between now and June 30 would total $193,000 if all employees participated. Superintendent John DeCotis said he was confident that the overwhelming majority of 210-day and 240-day contracted employees would agree to the furloughs. Other employees to be furloughed include all non-contract staff working a 210-day or 240-day schedule. Both categories of employees will take two furlough days between now and the end of the fiscal year. Their furlough days will be scheduled by their supervisors to coincide with times when students are not in school. Those affected would include employees such as secretaries, custodians, maintenance employees and bus shop staff. The savings will total $110,000 by June 30. The cost per employee will range from $203-265. Prior to the vote, DeCotis laid out some of the events that led to the board’s decision. “Most school systems cut programs when the state austerity cuts first occurred in 2001. And we held on to them since we value these programs so much. We have some things with the programs that other school districts don’t have. And you heard that our class sizes are small,” DeCotis said. “If we had cut these programs earlier like some other school districts we would have a higher fund balance right now, but we would not have these positions and programs in place. Other districts also had (a 1-cent sales tax) for years. We tried twice and couldn’t get one. So we were without all that extra operating money that other districts had for the last 10 years. "We finally got one and we appreciate our citizens. Also this year, (the state) required raises that cost us $4 million. They took the money back and we had to pay $4 million out of our fund balance. Where else were we going to get it? Therefore, these (furlough) moves are necessary to balance our budget for this year. It’s not something we want to do, but it’s something we have to do.” Also up for consideration by the board Tuesday was elimination of employer-paid life insurance coverage of up to $50,000, long-term disability insurance, a reduction of the medical insurance supplement of $71.14, reduction of the dental supplement of $22 and deferred compensation for up to five days for teachers and parapros, though deferred wages would have to come out of the 2009-2010 budget. Yet to be seen is whether the General Assembly will turn loose the homestead exemption credit that Gov. Sonny Perdue said in the fall should be withheld to help offset state budget shortfalls. For the Fayette School System, that would amount to a loss of approximately $3.5 million in revenues that are customarily forwarded to the school board. Currently unknown is whether part or all of the money will make its way to the school system. As he has done past meetings, DeCotis said that without those funds the board would have to address what would become a significant shortfall. “We’re continuing to save money this year through other ongoing cost-cutting measures,” DeCotis said. And we’d have to continue to look at personnel.” login to post comments
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