Cushioned from the full impact of state budget cuts over the last two years by a multi-million dollar infusion of Federal stimulus funding, the Moore County Schools [MCS] Board of Education is facing a “best case scenario” of an $8.2 million reduction in funding for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Presenting her proposed $90.2 million budget on Monday, March 14, MCS Superintendent Dr. Susan Purser recommended sweeping changes to counter the losses, including the grim prospect of closing Academy Heights, a year-round K-5 school located in Taylortown; eliminating 90 positions; and staggering school opening and closing hours to allow for some buses to provide multiple routes.
The anticipated $8.2 million reduction includes both the loss of $5.2 million in federal funding and also a $3 million cut from the state; however, the reduction in state funding could climb as high as $9 million — representing a 15% reduction.
“We looked at every place possible to generate funds,” Purser said.
Those recommendations included eliminating twenty-five positions currently funded by stimulus dollars; eliminating three central office positions; eliminating four assistant principal positions; reducing the maintenance budget by $100,000; closing Academy Heights and consolidating the program — a decision that will save $500,000 annually; retiring ten school buses and establishing staggered times for schools to allow for consolidated routes — a change that could net at least $200,000 a year; closing all offices for five days in December; reducing teacher assistant workdays by five; eliminating the PD360 online professional development program; eliminating the high school graduation project program; reducing the middle school athletics budget by limiting transportation costs by number and location of games; realigning orchestra and band programming; and reducing pullout intervention programs.
In addition, several formulas were reworked to cut costs, including an increase in per square foot allotment per custodian; an increase from 26-to-1 to 28-to1 in the student ratio for teacher assistants; reductions in arts, health, and physical education positions; and an overall increase of one student in each formula ratio determined for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.
Purser said that although her recommendation was an overall reduction of ninety positions, she would first look to attrition to reach that goal.
After leading the Board through the list of drastic cuts, Purser admitted that they still only totaled $5 million in cost reduction. Purser proposed that the remaining $3 - $4 million necessary to balance the budget should be drawn from the MCS fund balance.
“We have dug deeply,” she said. “We have gone across the county, and we have looked at all programs and feel we have reduced as much as we need to at this time.”
At the local level, the proposed budget request from the county remains unchanged from last year at $26.2 million.
A copy of the proposed budget is available on the MCS website. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Monday, March 21 at 6:00 pm at Carthage Elementary.
Spend before it’s gone
With little light at the end of the tunnel of current economic woes for the State of North Carolina, the Board of Education unanimously approved a laundry list of purchases that will dig deep into a lottery account and state facilities account for capital needs that are set aside for Moore County.
Unfortunately, like many other school funding streams, these dollars must be spent in certain program areas and, more specifically, cannot be used to cover teacher salaries.
“These funds are already there, in our account in Raleigh,” explained School Board Chair Laura Lang. “We need to make sure we get them used before they [the state General Assembly] try to take them back. We don’t want to risk that.”
Improvements and purchases approved include the expansion of the Union Pines High School cafeteria, an auxiliary gym for Pinecrest High school, information technology infrastructure and computer refreshing, and security cameras for all school buses.
NC Senate Bill 8
The MCS Board unanimously approved a resolution opposing NC Senate Bill 8, which would require public school systems to share revenue with charter schools.
“This is not a rebuff on charter schools,” said Lang. “We’re saying, please fund them appropriately.”
While public schools are required to educate all children, charter schools are not. In addition, the proposed legislation releases the minimum requirement of students in a charter school.
Lang explained that while public schools receive money that must be spent in a certain way; charter schools are not limited.
“ROTC dollars would go to schools that don’t have ROTC. Nutrition fund dollars would go to schools that don’t have to offer food services,” said Lang.
If Senate Bill 8 is approved, as is, the funding impact to MCS could be as much as $300,000 a year, predicted Chief Financial Officer Mike Griffin.
