Pulaski schools face lay-offs
Jeremy Norman, News Editor
03-17-2010
At their Monday evening meeting, the Pulaski County School Board listened to four different options as to how they can prepare their Fiscal Year 2010-11 budget for a possible $3.9 million dollar shortfall.
Unfortunately, all four options include the elimination of at least 77 positions within the Pulaski County school system.
Citing a perfect storm of declining enrollment, revenue reductions at both the state and federal levels, an increase in utilities and health insurance, the drying-up of stimulus funding, and the continuation of the worst economic downturn in a generation, Interim Superintendent Dr. Thomas Brewster laid before the board a list of budget options to consider.
Option I would:
• Consolidate Pulaski and Dublin middle schools;
• Keep the Fairlawn Cooperative Transition Program;
• Eliminate all assistant principals at elementary schools;
• Eliminate all school security officer (SSO) positions at the high school level; and
• Keep salaries intact.
Option I would result in the elimination of 101 positions, including 13 at the high school level, 17 at the middle school level, and eight at the elementary school level. The savings from this option would be approximately $3,974,080.
Option II would:
• Keep both middle schools;
• Eliminate half of the assistant principals at each middle school;
• Keep Fairlawn Cooperative Transition Program;
• Eliminate three SSO positions;
• Reduce salaries by 2 percent; and
• Eliminate exploratory classes in the middle schools.
Option II would result in the elimination of 89 positions, including 16 at the high school level, 12 at the middle school level, and 11 at the elementary school level. The savings from this option would be $4,008,255.
Option III would:
• Keep both middle schools;
• Eliminate the Fairlawn Cooperative Transition Program;
• Keep counselors at the middle schools;
• Keep exploratory classes in the middle schools;
• Reduce the middle school music and art programs by one-half;
• Eliminate three SSO positions; and
• Reduce salaries by 3 percent.
Option III would result in the elimination of 77 positions, including 18 at the high school level, seven at the middle school level, and eight at the elementary school level. The savings from this option would be $3,994,947.
Option IV would:
• Consolidate Pulaski Dublin middle schools;
• Eliminate the Fairlawn Cooperative Transition Program;
• Keep assistant principals at the middle and elementary schools;
• Keep exploratory classes in the middle schools; and
• Eliminate SSO positions.
Option IV would result in the elimination of 103 positions, including 17 at the high school level, 16 at the middle school level, and eight at the elementary school level. The savings from this option would be $3,991,124.
All four options were determined by following the school system's philosophy of reducing non-personnel/non-instructional areas first, review reduction in force policy, review the goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan, reduce personnel costs before eliminating positions, review of the standards of quality/class size reduction, before finally exploring changing school and grade configurations.
None of the budget options were received with a positive reaction from the members of the school board.
Discussing the possibility of salary reductions over staff furloughs, board member Pamela Chitwood said, "I don't want it to be a permanent salary cut. I think if we get through these two years, we will be back on the upswing.
"If we do anything with salaries, it must be in the form of furloughs."
Staff furloughs would be built into the yearly calendar and would not cut into classroom time. It is not yet known if furloughs would result in budgetary savings.
"We haven't done pay raises in the last couple years. If we cut salaries, we will be five to 10 years behind scale," said board member Jeff Bain.
Speaking on the elimination of the SSO positions in the high school, Bain spoke of his concerns with classroom safety.
"How are we going to maintain peace and order in the high schools with no SSO's?"
The most spirited debate of the evening came when discussing the possible consolidation of the two middle schools.
"I have a real problem with consolidation because we have no idea where we will go ... where our children will go," said Chitwood.
"If we take the middle school option off of the table, we are going to shoot ourself in the leg," Bain countered.
"But this is something that we can't half-heartedly look at," stated member Dr. Rodell Cruise.
"The real loser here is the middle schools," Chitwood stated, receiving applause from the standing-room-only crowd that gathered to observe the meeting.
Dr. Brewster then explained that "It's not a case of the middle school taking the brunt, rather, it is a case of where the cuts can be made."
After the budget options were presented, members of the community were invited to speak with the board. High school teacher Bill Benson offered a different option for the school board to trim the budget.
"I have mixed emotions about the (Southwest Virginia) Governor's School. My two boys went to it, and I believe they would have been better served going to regular classes.
"I wonder if it has outlived its usefulness?"
Benson continued, "Before we start talking about cuts in pay and furloughs, we need to ask if we really need this (the Governor's School). I believe furloughs will really hurt younger teachers."
Sonya James, parent and band booster president, likened the current budget crisis to being on a hamster wheel. "We need to jump off. Our future is in your (the school board's) hands."
In respect to the possible consolidation of the middle schools, James stated that "We worked hard to get the middle schools. We can't go backwards."
The school system expects to receive the final budget numbers from the Virginia General Assembly by Wednesday, March 17 at the earliest. Once these numbers are received, they will then present the recommended budget to the school board at the Thursday, March 25 meeting. The final budget must be presented to the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors by April 8.
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