County BOE axes people, programs

The actions come after last week’s in-house BOE retreat, during which the board discussed the system’s finances in detail. While much of the district’s state-provided funds remains uncertain, the school system is clearly facing a drop in revenue for the 2009-2010 fiscal year budget.

Board chairperson Kathy Wilbanks said district officials reviewed all options to reduce costs without compromising the quality of education.

Overall, the school system anticipates starting the 2009-2010 school year with more than 530 teachers, compared to 545 in the current school year.

County School System cutbacks

•Closing the Regional Evening School program at the Gordon Street Center, saving $374,108.

•Eliminating all three middle school graduation coach positions, saving $257,574.

•Ending the middle school Spanish program and eliminating one corresponding teaching position, saving $64,107.

•Eliminating one elementary art teaching position, saving $80,799.

•Eliminating one elementary music teacher position, saving $62,384.

•Eliminating the high school graduation test prep program and two corresponding positions, saving $121,597.

•Eliminating the Youth Apprenticeship Program and one corresponding position, saving $56,991.

•Eliminating the assistant superintendent for human resources and support services positions, saving $156,232.

•Eliminating 26 classified positions, including 18 special education paraprofessionals, who will lose their positions due to a decrease in the number of students enrolled in special education classes. District leaders say a “pyramid of intervention” is pinpointing which students require more intensive academic assistance before being placed in special education classes. Several other paraprofessional and clerical positions will also be eliminated. The total savings anticipated is $550,000.

•Mandating a five-day furlough for all 12-month contract employees — which includes all superintendents, directors, coordinators, head high school football coaches, principals, assistant principals, and some fine arts directors. Those employees working part-time will be furloughed for 2.5 days.The move is expected to save the school system $110,900 in salaries and benefits. The affected employees will spread their furloughed days throughout the 2009-2010 school year. If the state imposes furloughs, the school system will adjust its plans so that no more than five days total will be furloughed.

•Restricting out-of-system travel for training and conferences to those that are required or are essential to program activities. Instead, the school system plans to provide more in-house training for a potential savings of $252,000.

• Other cuts include no band camps to save $20,000, holding all BOE and administrative retreats in-house to save $10,000, and trimming four non-certified positions in the district’s central office to save a total of $96,440.

•Enforcing field trip requirements to trim costs and not replace teacher laptops for an estimated $240,000 savings.

• Other possible cuts range from providing in-house ant control (saving an estimated $15,745) to eliminating the system-paid portion of employee dental insurance (saving an estimated $264,500).