Questions of ‘how’ to fund raises posed to CC school board by county leaders
As Charles City County Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy presented the proposed FY2023-24 budget of schools to Charles City’s Board of Supervisors as part of the regular Tuesday night meeting, it was more of a “how” question and not a “why” question that were discussion points.
Joppy presented the $10,805,970 operating budget to county leaders to lobby for more local dollars to support the school system in the upcoming year.
Similar to the Mar. 14 and Mar. 22 meetings, Joppy presented the budget of need to supervisors. Among her focal points include asking for funds to provide a five-percent pay raise for employees, the hiring of an assistant principal, adding a math interventionist, hiring a high school special education teacher, and instructional aides at both the elementary and pre-kindergarten level.
Joppy went on to speak about the school’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) of $1,290,857. Of that amount, $1,080,660 are ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) grant funds that will be utilize to replace the wastewater treatment plant. Other CIP projects include the purchase of a school bus, a seven-passenger van, and a high jump landing pit for the track facility.
“This is a needs-based budget,” Joppy said. “We are focusing on recruitment and retention of teachers, sustaining positions, and supporting our student’s diverse needs.”
Charles City’s Board of Supervisors had a list of 16 questions sent to the school’s prior to their formal presentation. Questions included how many SOQ (Standards of Quality) positions are funded by the state. Joppy responded that 91 of the 112 positions were funded, but those positions weren’t fully funded. Of the remaining 21 positions, some are funded by grants such as a mental health specialist.
Additional inquiries from questions included the average salary of teachers compared to nearby jurisdictions (second from bottom), the per pupil basic aid amount ($17,630 per pupil), and the effect of the LCI (Local Composite Index) on the school division.
The LCI is a determining factor utilized to find out the ability of how much a locality can pay based on local property and home income. And while Charles City isn’t as developed or has any many businesses as nearby jurisdictions, it’s LCI is .5892, meaning that the county carries a heavier burden to support local schools. By comparison, areas that include New Kent, West Point, and Henrico have a lower LCI, meaning that local governments don’t have to pay as much to support those school districts.
Joppy reiterated on several questions posed by county leaders that Charles City Public Schools has no method of raising funds for revenue as they have no taxing authority. The superintendent reiterated the phrase when asked would the schools ask for a tax increase to find justification to increase their budget.
After the school’s budget presentation, members of the board of supervisors focused on the “how” any type of raise would be supported, and not the reasoning behind them.
“It concerns me that you want to attain and retain teachers, but a five percent increase is not going to do it,” commented District 2 representative Bill Coada. “Even if we gave you funds for a five percent raise, it’s only going to slide you into last place.
“You look at what all these other school districts are doing and they are doing the same thing,” he added. “For a 20-year teacher, five-percent is going to take you halfway and you’ll be sitting in the same exact spot next year.”
Coada then asked Joppy about the number of employees who have left the school system this year and if money was the issue. While Joppy said that the pay played a factor, it wasn’t the only reason why teachers left.
“Many educators are getting out of the field altogether,” she said. “Teachers are stressed with the school atmosphere.
“I give you the example when a teacher is absent. We have to find a substitute for that point, but what if that substitute doesn’t show up? Then another teacher has to cover that class and do their own work,” Joppy added. “I don’t believe it is all attributed to funding, but for the novice or new teacher, they have the mindset of ‘show me my worth’.”
Coada agreed with Joppy’s statement, but no promises were made about the budget. Meanwhile, county leaders will be focused on receiving a recommended budget from County Administrator Michelle Johnson within the coming month.