By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education is set to adopt the $54.3 million 2007-08 district operating budget and approve about $1.1 million in reductions tonight (Thursday) at a budget work session.
Board members identified potential cuts at a meeting last Thursday after hearing recommendations from Superintendent Neil Pedersen.
In late June, the Board of County Commissioners approved a 4.7 cent property tax increase and a 1.5 cent increase on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro special district tax.
With the tax increases and other county funding, Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools will receive about $3.4 million more than last year. However, the board had requested an increase of about $6.8 million.
“The year has been a more difficult one and there are more decisions to be made at this point than usual,†Pedersen said.
The board is likely to approve reductions to the substitute teacher and substitute teacher assistant budgets, local funding for student field trips and administrative expenses such as office supplies and human resources advertising. In addition, the board is set to reduce school athletic budgets, day custodian positions and more.
Board members are also likely to appropriate $1 million from the district’s fund balance. Several commissioners had recommended that the board use the fund balance to help close the budget shortfall since the district faces higher costs than usual because of the opening of Carrboro High School and the tenth elementary school.
Several board members said they were reluctant to make reductions under which people would lose their jobs.
Pedersen said that while the administration had already identified nearly $1.2 million in cuts without anyone losing their job, personnel cuts would likely happen in the near future.
“There are limits to how many cuts we can make without someone losing a job,†he said. “If it’s not this year, it’s going to happen next year.â€
Although school officials had previously recommended eliminating transportation to the dual-language and LEAP programs, board members decided against it.
Melissa Segal, a parent of three children in Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools, said many children use the district’s transportation to dual-language and LEAP programs. In addition, Segal asked board members to cut items that least affect classroom instruction.
“I’d like to request that we really focus on those items that provide direct instruction to our children,†she said. “We have a large achievement-gap issue.â€
The board will vote on the budget tonight at 7 at the Chapel Hill Town Hall.