Charles City School Board list focal points for FY2017-18 budget preparation

With the school year making steady progress and budget season approaching, Charles City’s School Board held a Tuesday evening work session prior to its regularly scheduled meeting to address focal points for the FY17-18 budget.

A Powerpoint presentation identified five areas of priorities board members consensually agreed upon. At the top of the list is salary and compensation for school employees, followed by health insurance benefits. The other three focal points desired by the county’s school board include maintaining the pre-school program, maintenance of current programming and academic support, and instituting a teacher assistance program to help instructors pay for courses for college and/or re-certification.

On a second-tier list of identified areas, equality of benefits between Charles City Public Schools and Charles City County took the top spot. Also on the list are maintaining the current pupil-teacher ratio, continuation of the one-to-one technology initiative at Charles City Elementary School, improvement of maintenance for grounds and buildings, and review of magnet programs based on student needs.

School board members took time to address topics and goals at the meeting, with an emphasis on raising staff position rates to $10/hour, addressing options and innovations for teachers who are at the top of the pay scale, exploring ways to reduce the cost of health care, and figuring a way to provide consistent raises for employees with an emphasis on setting a steady dollar amount instead of a percentage of the worker’s pay.

Even with their priorities listed, superintendent of schools David Gaston commented that funding will be a major issue in the upcoming cycle.

“The state projections and revenue isn’t looking too bright at the moment,” said the superintendent, addressing the nearly $365 million shortfall that is currently estimated in the state’s FY2017-18 budget. “The state has been trying to address the issue by cutting raises to state employees and taking money from the rainy day fund, but those things alone won’t make up the deficit.

“When we approach our local funders, I think it’s safe to assume that we should ask for level funding when we get into this budget,” Gaston continued. “With an expected increase to our schools of $90,000 for the VRS (Virginia Retirement System) rates, a one-percent raise for teachers ($65,000), and trying to raise the salary of drivers and staff workers, we are already starting in a hole.”

School board members chimed in with their views of how to use funding for next year.

“As I look at our top priorities, I am highly in favor of keeping our preschool program, providing raises, and maintaining our current programs,” said District 3 representative Martha Harris.

“When I look at our preschool program, I see that the state is providing us only with $35,000 for one of the programs,” chimed in at-large member Steve Fuhrmann. “I fully support our preschool programs and I am wondering if we should continue to accept those funds or have that program funded locally.”

Fuhrmann said that a preschool program supported by local dollars consists of a class of 17, whereas the state-funded program only provides a dollar amount to support seven pupils.

“We shouldn’t look to the county for any additional increases from the county,” the at-large member added. “We will be fortunate to get level funding.

“If we are to provide raises and address other areas, then something is going to come out of the budget and there are several areas we will look at very hard to do so,” Fuhrmann concluded.

At-large member Preston Adkins added a few suggestions to have a collaborative effort between the county’s school board and board of supervisors.

“While Waste Management is bringing in more tons than what is written around, I hope the board of supervisors is realizing that surrounding landfills are competing with each other,” Adkins commented, referencing the site that provides a significant portion of revenue to the county. “There is one site that stays open 24 hours a day whereas our site closes. I hope supervisors are working with Waste Management to get better negotiations to help both the county and the schools.”

Gaston expects to provide a formal presentation of the FY2017-18 school budget at the Jan. 17 regularly scheduled meeting.