School Board Must Reconcile the FY 2011 Operating Budget

The School Board must reconcile our operating budget on Tuesday night and cut $19.3 million. The School Board must make the cuts in such a way as to minimize the impacts to classroom instruction. It isn't an easy task.  As part of the Operating Budget process, the Superintendent prepared an  Option 1 Reduction List  of items that would be considered for cuts if the budget were cut. Despite the County receiving over $49 million additional from the State for Education, the Board of Supervisors cut our budget by $79 million, $19.3 million of which was non-programmatic.

 Here are my draft recommendations of items to cut, which are based on the Option 1 Reduction List : 

Description	Amount	FTE
6 Furlough Days	$13,374,000	N/A
Eliminate Middle School Deans	$1,421,000	20.0
Reduce FLES	$1,138,000	18.0
Eliminate Assistant Athletic Directors	$796,000	12.0
Eliminate Career Center Assistants	$553,000	12.5
Eliminate SAT Teachers	$740,000	12.0
Eliminate Tuition Reimbursement	$729,556
Reduce Non School Based (Support Svs)	$524,000	8.0
Reduce Non School Based (Inst Tech)	$446,000	7.0
Reduce Activity Bus	$366,000
Reduce Instructional Supplies	$300,000
Reduce Small School Principals	$227,000	2.0
Reduce Non School Based (Admin Tech)	$208,000	3.0
Eliminate Extended Contracts	$118,000
Eliminate Assistant Athletic Trainers	$63,000
Total of my cuts:	$21,003,556	94.5
Must meet or exceed Amount:	$19,300,000

I hope that we'll be able to find efficiencies during the year and restore at least four of the lost instructional days and instructional materials.

I have set up an unscientific survey to gauge community sentiments on the items we’re considering cutting. If you’d like to participate, please go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QJZH83H

There will be a public hearing on Monday night, April 12th at the School Board Admin Building concerning the Operating budget cuts. The meeting will convene at 6:30PM and then recess to allow School Board members to meet in groups with parents, employees, students and other interested citizens. About 7:30PM, the public hearing will reconvene for the School Board to take input from the public. Unfortunately, I have a previous commitment in my role as the Chairman of the Loudoun Chapter of the American Red Cross and will miss the beginning of the meeting.

The School Board will (reluctantly) approve the cuts at our April 13th meeting.

Comments

[TomReed]

I agree that something has to go, but I believe you're basing your savings on using the furlough savings amount of $2,229,000 per day. Shortening the school year is different from a furlough day, because the fixed costs for administrators, some custodians, and most classified staff will still be working even if the teachers and students are gone. Don't get me wrong there is a savings, but it won't be $2,229,000 a day.

Also, I hate to say I told you so, but last year when we were discussing the calendar for the upcoming year, I tried to table the calendar until the budget was done, but didn't get the votes, it may not have even been seconded.