NK school budget shortfall below previous years’ figures

New Kent superintendent of schools Rick Richardson presented county School Board members with a budget that has one goal in mind– restoration.

Richardson’s $28,127,900 projected budget for New Kent schools for fiscal year 2013-14 includes reinstatement and addition of 20 full-time employees as well as funds that were used for a one-time bailout. The presentation was made during the board’s Feb. 19 work session.

“This budget reflects long, overdue items,” Richardson told the board. “It also reflects the growth and adjustments needed to the salary scale.”

The proposal, however, reflects only an intake of $26,635,240 in projected revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. This means that board members will have tough decisions to make as the shortfall is $1,492,660.

Financial director Ralph Westbay presented determining factors on revenue and expenditures. Decreases are expected in local revenue ($69,998), county appropriations ($249,582) and federal funding ($204,592) while state revenue is expected to increase by $591,276.

Four furlough days are being reinstated into the budget. Estimated enrollment is pegged at 3,005 students, which is a 110-student increase in grades K-12. Increases in revenue are projected to come in the form of state sales tax money, Gov. Bob McDonnell’s two percent salary raise, and state lottery funding.

With the estimated enrollment increase, 9.5 teachers are projected to be hired to fulfill needs in maintaining classroom size. Those positions include high school math, elementary special education, elementary and middle school art, a kindergarten teacher and a health and physical education teacher at the elementary level, a career and technical education teacher at the high school, and an elementary school reading specialist. The hires alone account for $535,000 in projected expenditures, something Westbay said is a change from previous budgets.

“We went through four years of cuts that whittled us to the bone,” he said. “In this budget we are putting back what we lost.”

More employment decisions include hiring five positions in instructional technology, and also funding four positions that were formerly paid for under federal funds.

New Kent schools also have to look at textbook adoptions for science, as mandated by the state. That adoption will amount to $165,000.

Another area of concern that board members must address is employee salaries.

“We need more equity in the pay scale,” Richardson commented. “It’s long overdue.”

Overall, Richardson said that compared to last year, the budget is much more workable and friendly for the board. Last year, the board had to slice $2.7 million from the budget. This year, the figure is about half.

“This is the smallest revenue shortfall we have had in three years,” said Richardson. “There are positions that are state-mandated or being restored that we will have to address, but we are better off now than where we have been in previous years.”

Board members elected not to comment on the issue but agreed there would be tough decisions to be made during the budget-building process.