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School budget plan passes by 4-2 margin

Posted on July 25, 2007 by Staff

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education voted 4-2 last week to approve the 2007-08 operating budget, including about $400,000 in additional reductions in order to fund school security improvements and other items.

Board members Mike Kelley and Jean Hamilton voted against the proposed budget. Several board members voted in favor of the proposed budget but did so only after citing serious concerns regarding the annual budget process.

In order to fund new items – additional security guards at the district’s high schools and other school security upgrades, homeless student transportation, the high school academies program and more – the board made reductions to the current budget.

Additional budget cuts include reducing day custodian positions, a reduction in funding for supplies and textbooks by $8 per student and eliminating funding for Carrboro Elementary School’s 21st century after-school program.

The board also changed a previous proposal to cut the athletic budgets by 5 percent – about $43,000 – to a 2.5 percent reduction.

In addition, board members approved about $1.1 million in reductions that had been previously recommended by school officials. The cuts will reduce the substitute teacher and substitute teacher assistant budgets, local funding for student field trips and more.

Hamilton said she believed the board could do more to find different reductions that would affect students less, adding that she did not support a cut to the athletic budgets.

“I am concerned that we are not supporting things that are core to our mission,” Hamilton said. “It’s time that we put our resources toward things that will do the most for the children in this district.”

Several board members stressed the need for a better budgetary process.

“What we’re doing now is what most organizations do at the outset of their budgets,” board member Liz Carter said. “Budgets should never be finished. Budgets should be 365 days a year.
“I think that what we’ve got to do is think about changing the budget process. I think it’s long overdue.”

Superintendent Neil Pedersen also expressed concern about the process.

“The budget process is problematic probably across the state as well as in this county as we are dependent on the county commissioners for our funding,” Pedersen said. “I would hope that before the commissioners set targets for the following year that they’ve had the opportunity to hear, and respond to some of our needs.”

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 tax increases and other county funding, the schools will receive about $3.4 million more than last year. The board had requested a $6.8 million funding increase.

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