Mathews Presents WJCC Budget Recommendations;45 Jobs, Summer School Among $4.4M in Cuts

By Amber Lester Thursday, March 11, 2010

Williamsburg-James City County Superintendent Gary Mathews revealed his proposed budget, which cuts $4,366,380 from the previous budget, at a hearing Wednesday night.

The $109.6 million budget eliminates or reduces 17 instructional full-time positions and 28.5 full-time and part-time administrative and support positions. It also reduces the budgets for technology equipment, the office of the superintendent, the finance department, human resources, operations, student services, academic services, media and technology, the office of multicultural affairs and communications.

The budget also includes the House of Delegates and Senate’s proposed changes to the Virginia Retirement System, which would decrease the division’s contribution. The WJCC proposal uses a hybrid of the two proposed rate changes, which would save the division $1,566,990.

Through attrition, including positions lost through resignations and retirements, the division expects to save $706,525.

The division will increase its spending by $2,135,718 for a health insurance increase, tuition payments to New Horizons, a speech therapist, increases in liability insurance and workers compensation for the new schools, new staff at the elementary school, three pre-Kindergarten bus drivers and three aides, along with several other increases.

Mathews said the budgets cuts could have been much worse if not for the House of Delegates’ proposed “hold harmless” for districts adversely affected by a change in the local composite index and the General Assembly’s proposals to reduce the VRS rate. He also noted the division was able to maintain its target pupil-to-teacher ratios and avoid cuts to co-curricular and athletic activities.

School Board members expressed concern about the proposed elimination of an executive director of human resources position. For the past year-and-a-half, Assistant Superintendent of Finance Scott Burckbuchler has filled that role; board member Jim Kelly raised concerns about not having an HR representative at a time when the school division was making personnel cuts and offering early retirement incentives.

Board members also questioned the proposal’s removal of summer school for high school students, cuts of some teacher assistants, decreases in tuition reimbursement for faculty and loss of some high school guidance staff.

Staff Affected By Cuts
In the central office, the budget eliminates or reduces 28.5 positions, equaling a savings of $1,268,523. Some positions were already open. Others will be reduced from full-time to part-time, such as the superintendent’s administrative assistant and division communications specialist Greg Davy. In each case, the duties will be reassigned to other staff.

The proposed budget would reduce 17 instructional faculty positions. Elementary staffing would be reduced by allowing some class sizes to increase to 25 students in kindergarten through third grade and 28 students in fourth and fifth grades. Middle school staffing would be reduced by providing teachers with one planning period instead of the average one and a half provided. In high schools, classes would have 25 students and low-enrollment classes would be consolidated and/or eliminated.

Last year, 17 teaching positions were restored when the division received federal stimulus funding. That money will not be available in 2011. The superintendent’s budget notes that school enrollments, retirements and the state budget will affect which teaching positions are eliminated.
The position reductions would include:

•Eliminate a central administrator position. Mathews did not reveal the administrator who would not be returning, but said an announcement would be made later this week. However, the management position in the Operations and Maintenance department, currently held by Robert Becker, is not funded in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2011.
•Eliminate the Executive Director for Human Resources position.
•Reduce Communications Specialist to part-time.
•Reduce Administrative Assistant in Superintendent’s Office to part-time.
•Eliminate Purchasing Coordinator. Duties would be shared with county’s purchasing department.
•Eliminate part-time position of Curriculum Coordinator of Social Studies.
•Eliminate budgeted principal for a fourth middle school.
•Eliminate budgeted Senior Administrative Assistant for a fourth middle school.
•Eliminate part-time position in Finance Department.
•Eliminate an Administrative Assistant position in Academic Services.
•Eliminate a Special Education Instructional Specialist position. There are currently two instructional specialists; this would leave one, in addition to a coordinator and supervisor.
•Eliminate two custodian positions.
•Eliminate three High School Attendance Associate support positions, one from each high school.
•Eliminate three High School Guidance Office Assistant support positions, one from each high school.
•Eliminate eight part-time school Receptionist support positions.
•Eliminate nine elementary Teacher Assistant positions. Three of the positions are currently unfilled.
•Elimination of three elementary school teaching positions.
•Elimination of seven middle school teaching positions.
•Elimination of nine high school teaching positions.