The cut amounts to 2.5 percent of the county’s $16.4 million appropriation this year.
The county is facing a $1.9 million budget shortfall because of state cutbacks and the sluggish economy. The situation is expected to worsen next year, said schools Superintendent Dr. Pat Russo.
County Manager David McNeill outlined a plan to the commissioners Monday for cutting $2 million from the county budget, which included a reduction in funding for the school system.
“We are not happy,” Russo said. “My biggest concern is April, May and June, if the state cuts further. We don’t know where these additional reductions would come from.”
The spending cuts will not affect educational programs directly, Russo reported.
Russo said the exact amounts to be cut from each budget area, which will be determined later, will vary. The board approved several key areas to make cuts.
The school system is placing a hiring freeze on all positions except those required by state law and those directly affecting classroom instruction. The system will not fill 4.2 unallocated teaching positions and will not fill any uncertified positions that become vacant between now and the end of the year, June 30.
The school system will hold off purchasing textbooks not covered by state funding. The local budget includes $114,000 for textbooks.
Other measures include:
n Delaying the purchase of nonemergency equipment, such as computers and transportation equipment
n Reverting $80,000 that had been set aside for establishing a staggered bus transportation schedule this year.
n Reducing summer employment, mostly part-time workers to do maintenance and transportation work.
n Delaying some minor project expenditures in the capital outlay budget, which will be determined by Walter Powers, the director of maintenance.
n Reducing the budget allocation for heating fuel, since it has been a mild winter so far.
n Eliminating unplanned in-state and out-of-state travel that was not approved by Feb. 18. However, that will not affect the Board of Education’s annual trip to the National School Boards Association convention in New Orleans, April 6-9, because the plane tickets and reservations were made before the cutoff date.
n Reducing school board workshop expenses for out-of-county, inservice training, which will save about $15,000.
n Reducing funds for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Accreditation expenses, since several elementary and middle schools have opted not to continue with that voluntary process. The three high schools are maintaining their SACS accreditation, however.
“None of this money is extra money,” board Chairwoman Jennifer Garner said. “We didn’t get that much of an increase last year. We’ve been working with the commissioners. The commissioners have the right to withdraw funds to us whether we want to or not.”
Vice Chairman Wiley Barrett added, “This give-back has nothing to do with property taxes. We’ll get cut, although nobody’s property taxes will get cut. We took $1.4 million out of last year’s fund balance to make this budget work. We will not have a fund balance next year. The schools are getting hit hard.”
Garner said board members should contact Gov. Mike Easley and state lawmakers to express concerns about how state funding cuts are affecting education.
“It’s easy for someone in Raleigh to say, ‘don’t cut education, but I’m taking your money,’” board member Frank McNeill Jr. said. The county has many other areas they have to fund.”
