York Schools Could Lose 55 Positions July 1

By Amber Lester Wednesday, January 13, 2010

York County leaders gathered for a joint work session Tuesday to get a picture of what the upcoming budgets could look like. What they found was that the picture looks dire and could get worse.

The York County Board of Supervisors and School Board met at York Hall to go over presentations from finance directors, the county administrator and the superintendent of schools. They learned that one of the main reasons York County is a desirable place to live – its education system – could lose its good reputation.

Based on a proposed budget from outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine, York County schools could see a net reduction in resources of $4.9 million (counting lost revenue and increased costs). If the Virginia General Assembly doesn’t approve some of Kaine’s suggestions, that number might only increase, according to Chief Financial Officer Dennis Jarrett.

For now, York County anticipates losing 55 positions to attrition, including 31 regular teaching positions and eight para-educators (school employees who work under the supervision of teachers or other professional practitioners). York has the lowest per pupil spending of any school district on the Peninsula, yet consistently maintains the highest test scores. Its lean spending, however, means there is less room for cuts.

Superintendent Eric Williams and School Board Chair Mark Medford told the supervisors they would be “surprised” if the budget they presented Tuesday stayed the same.

Localities and their school divisions are facing severe budget cuts for fiscal year 2011, the worst anyone at the meeting has seen in their careers in York County. Kaine presented his proposed budget on Dec. 18. His proposal included recommendations to do away with car tax relief to localities and increase income taxes.

Kaine’s budget also made several suggestions for cuts to K-12 education, which has previously been spared from drastic cuts. His proposal included cuts to support personnel, textbooks and construction grants; meanwhile, schools will be required to pay more money into retirement funds and employee health insurance.

Kaine included one potentially positive suggestion: delaying a scheduled change in the composite index, which assigns a number that dictates how much revenue a division receives from the state. By delaying the change for one year, York County schools could save $700,000. But Jarrett told the boards that Northern Virginia schools could be adversely affected by a delay in the change and he’s heard they’re preparing a powerful lobby to the General Assembly.

County Administrator James McReynolds and Williams both recommended the supervisors consider level funding for schools in the next fiscal year. York County devoted 40 percent of its funds to schools this year. Supervisor Tom Shepperd said that because the county’s home assessments were down 1.4 percent, the county will have less revenue; if the supervisors commit to level funding, that means some other services will lose money. “Something’s going to have to give,” he said.

Williams presented proposed cuts based on the current budget suggestions from Kaine. He said the planned reductions are “not sustainable” in the long-term. The reductions would be:

• 55 positions (attrition): $2.6 million

• Other compensation: $1.1 million

• Technology: $700,000

• Textbooks: $300,000

• Buses and Maintenance: $177,000

• Fuel: $125, 000

• Remediation Funds: $75,000

• Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate tests: $53,000

• Other miscellaneous expenses (field trips and after-school busing): $34,000

Additional reductions could include reduced workdays for para-educators, fewer days for employees to work in the summer, less overtime for bus drivers and elimination of tuition reimbursement for teachers hoping to further their education.

The eliminated positions would include eight School Board office employees; eight positions in operations and maintenance (five IT positions, two custodians and one clerical position); 31 regular teachers; and eight para-educators (five elementary or secondary, two special ed and one on-hold position).

The 31 teacher positions that will be lost include nine elementary teachers, six middle school teachers, six high school teachers, four elementary positions on hold this year, four special ed teachers and one interpreter, and one elementary assessment, compliance and intervention specialist.

All of the school board members emphasized their concern about the impact on York County schools. Barbara Haywood said she feared the schools will struggle to keep up with the state’s Standards of Quality and will have a hard time meeting federal Adequate Yearly Progress requirements. “In my 20 years on the board, I’ve never had to consider cutting programs that affect student achievement,” she said. “No, we’re not going to collapse, but student achievement won’t be what it was.”

Williams said class sizes will increase; for example, in the fifth grade, students would be divided into four classes of 26 students, as opposed to five classes of 21 students. School Board member Page Minter added that in the older schools, classrooms aren’t physically large enough to comfortably accommodate more students, but it will have to be done.

After Williams’ presentation, Shepperd asked if the county’s rainy day fund – around $5 million – could be applied to the school division’s losses. Williams said that could be an option if the reductions look worse after the General Assembly’s session concludes.

Supervisor Walt Zaremba said the board doesn’t want to see York’s schools diminished. “We’re well aware of how excellent York County is compared to its peers,” he said. “Our intent is not to degrade that reputation by one iota.”