York Supes Approve Budget, Including Cut to Schools

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The York County Board of Supervisors approved their $123 million budget Tuesday, but the action will force the School Board to reevaluate its own budget for 2012.

The board voted 4-1 to approve the budget proposal, with Supervisor Walt Zaremba dissenting. Zaremba objected to the school board’s request for level funding after the supervisors told the school board they planned to cut $337,000 from the education budget.

Zaremba voiced his opposition to the School Board budget last Tuesday and at the time, recommended the Board of Supervisors consider taking a week to consider cutting the education budget more than the recommended $337,000. He was most frustrated with the school division’s decision to use extra funding for a step pay increase for eligible licensed and nonlicensed employees.

The division received an unexpected $700,444 in state funding, and also saw the cost of its contributions to the Virginia Retirement System reduced by $569,718. The combined savings and extra funding gave the board $1.2 million to add to the budget, and Superintendent Eric Williams recommended they allocate the funds for step pay increases.

Under the step pay plan, school division employees move up one step each year of service; sometimes the step increase results in a pay raise and sometimes it does not. Chief Financial Officer Dennis Jarrett said approximately 1,600 employees would be eligible for a pay increase if they advance one step.

Zaremba deemed the request an “unfunded mandate,” saying the board was using a one-time windfall to fund a recurring cost. “I think appropriating dollars that are here today and gone tomorrow to a recurring cost is fiscally irresponsible,” Zaremba said. Further, he noted that county employees haven’t received pay raises in two years, while school employees received bonuses at the end of 2010 through the Federal Jobs Fund.

Supervisor Don Wiggins agreed with his points, but said it’s taken years for the two boards to develop a good relationship and it is important to preserve that. “I don’t think cutting them any more is the right answer,” he said.

Sheila Noll also agreed with her fellow members, but told them that realistically, both boards are elected bodies that do what they think is best. “If the school board gets money and they use it unwisely, that’s their decision,” she said.

Board Chair George Hrichak said he spent most of the past seven days on the phone with School Board Chair Mark Medford, trying to convince the school board to reconsider. He said Medford was willing to consider offering the money as a one-time bonus, but could not run the idea by some of his fellow board members who are traveling during the schools’ spring break. Zaremba later said he could have supported the budget if the bonus plan had been approved.

Because the approved York County budget does not give the schools level funding, Williams and his staff will have to identify potential adjustments for school board approval. Jarrett estimates the school board will approve a revised budget by the end of the month.

The final York County budget also trims funding to nonprofits. This includes the elimination of funds to several programs, including the Foster Grandparent Program, Insight Enterprises, Peninsula READs, Retired and Senior Volunteers and the Williamsburg Land Conservancy. Most of the county’s charitable contributions will go to the Watermen’s Museum and York County Arts Commission.

See the approved budget here.