Moore County school officials, saying they are sensitive to fiscal constraints at the state and county level, presented a no-frills budget Tuesday.

The budget draft for 2001-2002 seeks an overall a proposed increase of 4.5 percent — the smallest in five years, according to Chief Operating Officer Don Peccia.

“There are little frills in this budget,” Superintendent Dr. Pat Russo said.

Increases center on state-mandated items, recruitment and retention efforts, and academic standards. The budget also seeks to cover an expected 20 percent increase in utility bills. Any other major new improvements that would cost a lot more money are absent — including the $18.4 million technology plan for the schools.

The increase asked for this year is the same as the one school officials received last year, after the county cut their requested $2.4 million increase in half. Last year’s request for an additional $1.9 million for technology was ignored.

Since then, four new members have been elected to the eight-member school board.

The new chairwoman is Jennifer Garner. She has said she understands the commissioners’ position and hopes they can work together.

The administration’s budget draft for next year seeks a county appropriation totaling $16,496,941, up from $15,296,941 appropriated this year from county ad valorem taxes. The total proposed budget from all local sources of revenue, including textbook allotments, fines and forfeiture, and other incidental sources of money, comes to $19,411,796. This compares to the current year’s $18,570,527.

Russo later called it a “reasonable” first draft. “We tried to minimize any major improvements that would add money to this budget,” he said.

Chairwoman Garner later said the school board is “being sensitive to the position the commissioners are in this year, with the understanding they understand we’ve been working with (County Manager) David McNeill.”

She added: “We’ve done everything we can to keep them abreast of what we think the county appropriation could be. I hope there are no reductions. We understand the situation the state is in, and when the state does its budget.”

Garner said she hoped the state’s revenue problems would not cause major cuts in revenue to the local governments, resulting in further decreases in school operating funds.

The local monies only provide 26 percent of the total public school operating budget for one year for Moore County’s 22 campuses. The state Legislature provides 62 percent of the operating budget for county schools here. Federal and other smaller sources of revenue make up a small portion of the operations expenditures.

Chief Operations Officer Don Peccia and others prepared charts and overhead presentations detailing the proposed budget for the school board to consider in two more scheduled work sessions: One tonight and one on April 11. The school board is then to vote April 23 on a request to give to the county commissioners for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The commissioners have final authority over how much county appropriation to give the schools.

A proposed transportation revamping would eventually cut the cost of operating the buses by staggering the schedules if the board should agree to do it. The changes came from a community transportation study committee and have been approved by the principals, according to Russo.

Although there would be an initial expenditure of $130,000 for two transportation specialists and to convert school bus driver positions into eight-hour jobs with medical insurance and retirement benefits, the long-range impact would relieve school principals and assistants from dealing with bus drivers and schedules. It would also get a better, more reliable type of employee, Russo suggested.

A more controversial proposal that came from a community-based transportation study committee would have high schools and middle schools riding the same buses but on a later schedule than younger students. This would save money and utilize the more professional bus drivers the system would hope to get.

The plan would require older students to go to school about 30 minutes later and be released from school 30 minutes later, requiring adjustments in athletic schedules and other activities. School board member Sue Black urged that a public hearing be held on that issue. So did Vice Chairman Wiley Barrett, who also wanted more parents informed and asked for input before changing the system and the schedules.

Russo pointed out that the changes, including tightening of bus routes, would also shorten some very lengthy routes.

Other key factors in the proposed budget include:

n State-mandated 2 percent across-the-board salary increase for locally paid employees to match what the state raise is expected to be — a $177,193 increase.

n State-mandated employer’s share of 30 percent health insurance premium increases — $138,043.

n Recruitment and retention, 1 percent one-time salary incentive — $347,188 more for all the certified teachers.

n Staff development associated with the International Baccalaureate Program and additional supplies and materials for improved academic standards at Pinecrest and West Pine Middle — $89,421.

n Two ROTC teachers for Union Pines — $45,557.

n Mentor training program, staff development for the new arts education curriculum, and a new program for low performing students in algebra — $22,170.

n Increases in utility costs: electrical, water and sewer, telephone, heating fuel — a total increase of $384,166.

n Transportation: To implement the new centralized transportation system — $231,156 more.

n To continue Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation status — $23,730 for materials.

n Half-time custodial position for West Pine Middle to handle the 10 new classrooms under construction — $8,500 increase.

Whenever possible, Peccia said, local funds are saved by paying lower-salaried employees out of state monies, and using up state money first in the budget before using local funds. Because of vacancies, money saved is also applied to some of the increased costs.

Peccia also pointed out that student enrollment is expected to grow from 11,134 to at least 11,250 next year.

Also built into the budget is a 3 percent inflation factor for most non-personnel costs. The budget draft was developed by asking principals to involve their staff and school improvement team to prioritize requests. They were asked to tie requests to strategic improvement plan and board goals.

, have rationales for their requests, and use salary or cost data provided.

The finance office compiled the requests and then met with principals, department heads, and the superintendent’s leadership team to review them. An expenditure and revenue analysis was conducted from November through March. State and federal budgets and federal allotments were reviewed and preliminary meetings with county officials held.