By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Although the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education has approved its operating budget request for 2009-10, changes and further reductions are still likely as county and state officials have indicated large funding cuts are probable.
The board voted unanimously to approve its budget request last week, but in the same meeting delved into possible budget reductions. The $59.6 million request — nearly the same local funding level as 2008-09 — includes more than $700,000 in reductions to make up for necessary new expenditures.
Superintendent Neil Pedersen said the budget is unlike any he has ever drafted.
“Our budget request this year will not reflect what we believe we need to meet the expectations of all of our constituents, but rather it will be a plan for conserving resources and downsizing our budget to meet the available resources,†he wrote in a budget message earlier this year.
Still, Pedersen said, the request is based on a best-case scenario, adding, “We know that the best-case scenario is probably not going to come true.â€
County officials have indicated that the school district could see a $2.3 to $2.5 million funding reduction. In addition, Gov. Beverly Perdue’s budget includes about $1.5 million less in funding for the district.
And while the district could receive an increase in federal funding from the education stimulus package, the money would be earmarked for specific programs and services.
“It doesn’t appear that we’d be able to plug many holes with the increase in federal funding,†board chair Lisa Stuckey said.
The school board won’t get an approved budget from county officials until they approve their budget at the end of June. Until then, Pedersen said, school officials are simply trying to prepare for cuts.
“I don’t know that there’s really action that we can take until we hear more about our situation,†he said.
Personnel changes will be part of the reductions made, he said, but it is unclear how many positions could be cut at this point.
“There will be people who receive non-renewal letters,†Pedersen said, adding that there could be others who receive renewal letters but later lose their jobs because of further funding reductions at the local and state levels.
Last week, board members were asked to rank five categories for possible reductions. They chose to first find reductions in central-office funding, followed by increases in class size, increases in staff workload, reductions to instructional services and salary adjustments.
Teachers have spoken out against salary reductions, citing previously cut longevity pay and ABC bonuses.
Others have urged board members to maintain specific services and programs, highlighting the need to serve all students and the benefits of world language classes, reading specialists and music programs.
However, the funding situation remains bleak and board members will have a very difficult time making further reductions, Stuckey said.
“I’ve been around for a while and seen us add to our budget for things I thought were really important, and they’re going to be really hard to cut,†she said.
In the meantime, Stuckey said, “We want to be as open with staff as possible.â€
For more information about the school district’s 2009-10 budget, visit chccs.k12.nc.us