RALEIGH -- The Wake County school system is facing more layoffs as it attempts to deal with additional state funding cuts while seeing what previously cut programs can be restored to the budget.
The General Assembly’s budget only cut an additional $2.6 million out of Wake’s school funding, meaning harsh plans such as cutting pay for coaches and additional raises in class sizes aren’t needed now. But school administrators said they’ll have to lay off some transportation department employees while trying not to hurt bus service.
Even as school board members work through the final budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year, they know that next year’s budget hole will be much worse. Wake is facing the loss of $80 million worth of federal stimulus money next year.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said David Neter, Wake’s chief business officer.
Board members asked interim Superintendent Donna Hargens to bring back a recommendation next week on whether to restore some or all of the nine parent counseling positions cut from Project Enlightenment.
Hargens was also asked to look at whether she can recommend eliminating any of more than a dozen senior administrative positions identified by the board, including an area superintendent, the district's state lobbyist, the director of real estate services and some positions in Evaluation and Research and special education services.
Board members hope to adopt the final budget for this fiscal year next week.
Board members are talking about whether they can reverse some cuts adopted in the budget proposal in April, including restoring Project Enlightenment’s parental counseling staff. Supporters of the early childhood program have been lobbying school board members and county commissioners to restore the lost positions.
One of the areas of focus for members of the board majority is whether some individual senior administrative positions can be cut to use for other programs.
Several board members have focused on the position of government affairs liaison, which has a base salary of $76,240. The person, Susan Harrison, acts as the board’s lobbyist with state legislators and also works with state education officials.
“That could fund those missing positions in Project Enlightenment, a few teachers, science kits or other things we say we need,” said school board vice charwoman Debra Goldman.
But members of the board’s minority faction defended the position as being needed. Board member Kevin Hill also said it should be left up to the superintendent to recommend which positions to cut instead of having the board “cherry pick” them.
During today’s meeting, the board will also touch on a wide variety of topics such as funding spent on security, magnet schools, cell phones and alternative schools.
The school system has spent $20,960 on security at board meetings since December. The school system has hired off-duty Raleigh police officers and brought in additional private security in response to the large crowds that have shown up to protest the end of the diversity policy.
School officials paid $2,197 for security at the July 20 meeting in which 19 protesters were arrested. That figure doesn’t include how much Raleigh Police paid to respond to the meeting.
While security costs have been going up, staff said they're looking at cutting cell phone bills. Neter said Wake could save $434,318 a year under a new cell phone contract that the board will be asked to vote on next week.
Also on the agenda is a discussion of the state's disadvantaged students supplemental fund. Wake gets $3.6 million out of the states $77.7 million pot.
One of the provisions in the state budget is that the state Board of Education can withhold money from school boards whose policies "have contributed to or is contributing to increased segregation of schools on the basis of race or socioeconomic status.
Neter said he’d be surprised if they don’t get the funding. But for now, interim Superintendent Donna Hargens aren’t planning on spending any of that money until they know for sure that it’s been approved by the state.
