NK School Board members adopt budget with job cuts

A near empty auditorium befuddled the handful of New Kent residents who attended Monday’s School Board public hearing and vote on schools’ $23.9 million budget for the next fiscal year.

Due to an ongoing economic crisis, the budget is $2 million below the current year’s $25.9 million figure and features 29.5 job cuts, including 17.5 teachers, and no employee pay raises. Ordinarily, those numbers would be expected to lift at least a few eyebrows.

“The first thing that hits me as I walk in tonight is this room is very vacant,” Quinton resident and parent Brad Williams told board members during the hearing.

Terry Lawler, another Quinton resident and former board member, echoed Williams’ assessment.

“People talk around the county, saying are [school officials] doing this or doing that, but where are they?” she questioned.

Board vice-chairman Leigh Quick tried to add perspective afterward, saying county residents already know school officials must take drastic measures to balance expenses with anticipated revenue.

“No one is surprised that we have to do a lot of things,” she said. “They join us in not liking it, but with the economy the way it is, they may feel like their input would not make a difference.

“Unless there’s a very, very controversial cut, we usually don’t have people come out,” she said. “I join with Mr. Williams in wishing more people would come out, but I wish that for every meeting.”

Meager turnout aside, board members adopted the budget proposal. State school systems are required by law to have a next year budget in place by April 1. But the document adopted Monday is subject to amendment before it takes effect on July 1.

Still up in the air is the amount of local dollars headed schools’ way. For now, the school budget reflects level-funding equaling last year’s county contribution of $9.4 million. School officials may not know the actual amount until early May.

(Yesterday, however, school officials received a pleasant surprise as County Administrator Cabell Lawton provided Board of Supervisors members with a preliminary budget overview and recommendation that could hand schools an additional $1.1 million and save all jobs. See the story on page 1.)

For the second year in a row, school officials have been faced with building a budget upon dwindling revenue. Last year, they struggled with a $2.3 million revenue/expense gap. This year, the gap bounced between $1.5 million and $3.1 million before settling at just over $1.6 million.

“We’re in the second year of a three-year, four-year, or five-year process of consistently challenging funding problems,” school superintendent Rick Richardson told the sparse crowd. “We don’t know how long it might go on.”

New Kent’s budget is 85 percent personnel-related, and that’s where the most difficult cuts have come. A total of 29.5 jobs (17.5 teacher, 8 teacher aide, 4 clerical) are on the chopping block.

Lessening the pain somewhat is creation of six new teaching positions to cope with enrollment growth and maintaining low as possible student/teacher ratios in some grades. School officials are attempting to slide teachers who could lose their jobs into the six new posts.

“We think we can get the majority [of the job cuts] through resignations, non-renewal of contracts, and retirements,” said associate superintendent and school finance director Ed Smith.

At the top of New Kent’s revenue shortfall is a $2.1 million loss in state dollars ($12 million for next year compared to $14.1 million for the current year). Another $315,000 is added on to pay for the six new teaching positions. But the total is reduced by almost $816,000 in lower employee benefit costs, dropping the shortfall to the $1.6 million mark.

Smith said school officials examined the budget line by line, nearly 900 items in all, searching for ways to cut costs, such as eliminating after-school activity buses, or raise revenue, including imposition of a $40 pay-to-play fee for New Kent students engaged in Virginia High School League-sponsored sports and activities.

Board member Van McPherson labeled the budget-building endeavor as “the most horrible period of time” he has endured during his nine years on the board. He was appointed to the board last November, thus not serving a year ago when budget preparation for the current year took place. Previously, he served from 2000-07.

He praised administration staff for work in developing next year’s budget, urging the public not to blame staff for the result since the final decision rests with the board.

“As grim as it is this year,” he said, “we’re hoping it won’t be as grim next year.”