Superintendent Presents Budget to Board of Education

The board must adopt a proposed budget and present it to the county by May 15

Contact: Haley Miller (336) 370-3200
Created: 4/7/2009 8:49:41 PM

Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green unveiled a proposed district budget of $651,840,823 for 2009-2010 at the April 7 meeting of the Guilford County Board of Education. The proposed budget, which uses the Governor’s budget as a baseline, includes approximately $21.8 million in cuts and redirections. The changes will help GCS meet an anticipated $10.3 million reduction in state funding and pay for $2.3 million in increased personnel costs driven by the Governor’s proposed budget. The remaining $9.2 million in cuts and redirections are being used to align the district’s resources with the strategic plan launched in January and support major initiatives that are either currently underway or are scheduled to begin next school year.

The reductions also are needed to present a flat budget in terms of local funding to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners as requested by Chairperson Skip Alston. “These are extremely tough economic times, so while the needs of our students and our schools clearly could be used to justify an increase in funding, we’re felt the request this year to come in flat is not unreasonable so long as we’re funded at that amount,” said Green. Approximately $11.8 million of the $21.8 million in reductions and redirections in the proposed GCS budget come from central office; the remaining $10 million are school-based. Central administration makes up approximately 20 percent of the budget while the other 80 percent is school-based.

The proposed budget calls for eliminating about 153 positions, including 63 from central office, primarily in the Academic Services division. The other 90 positions are school-based positions, primarily media assistants. The positions represent a savings of about $8.7 million that can be used as cuts or redirections. The district hopes to minimize job losses through attrition. “Our plan is to find a new home within GCS for as many employees as we can,” said Green. As part of the reorganization of Academic Services, GCS is adding 45 positions, including the regional office positions. The changes in Academic Services, including reductions in personnel and some expenses for contracted services, supplies and materials and mileage reimbursement, among others, yield a net savings of approximately $1.2 million.

The district also proposes withholding about 50 percent or $5.8 million of the schools’ Weighted Student Formula (WSF) dollars as a potential budget cut. The discretionary WSF dollars are used by principals to purchase a variety of items, including classroom materials, software, professional development and some positions. GCS typically withholds about 25 percent of these funds each spring, releasing additional dollars later in the school year as state funding levels are finalized and student enrollments stabilize. The district anticipates some school-based positions may be impacted by the decision to withhold the WSF dollars. GCS won’t know how many additional school-based positions may be affected until principals turn in their staffing workbooks later this month. Because the General Assembly has just started working on its budget, the final state budget is likely to change. If the district’s financial outlook improves, some additional dollars will be released to schools first, Green said.

For the first time in several years, the proposed budget does not anticipate any increase in student enrollment, due to the economy and the impact of a new state law going into effect this fall that changes the cut-off date for new kindergarten students. GCS, like other districts statewide, expects to see a temporary, one-year drop in kindergarten enrollment. North Carolina students must turn age five by August 31 in order to enroll in kindergarten this year. The previous cut-off date was October 16. Although GCS anticipates little or no growth in student enrollment overall, this may vary school to school. GCS’ projections for student enrollment align with the state’s forecast for the district.

Student enrollment projections drive how many positions are allocated to schools. Schools may gain or lose staff positions depending on how much variance there is in student enrollment. GCS uses allotment formulas, such as student-teacher ratios, to determine staffing for schools. By taking a larger percentage of cuts from central administration, GCS officials were able to address the anticipated revenue shortfalls without making any changes to student-teacher ratios, which impact class size. In addition, GCS is using the same formulas as last year to allot staffing for counselors, social workers, assistant principals and teacher assistants. The budget does not take into account any stimulus funding the district may receive. GCS could receive some stabilization funds; and, according to the Council of Great City Schools, an additional $33.4 million in stimulus dollars for Title I, exceptional children and educational technology, depending on how the state chooses to disburse the funds.

Green said that while he was hopeful additional stimulus dollars slated for GCS will provide some budget relief, it was too early to know for sure, especially since the federal rules for how those funds may be spent were just published last week and since the state’s plans were still being developed. Green said he will present a plan for using the stimulus dollars at a later school board meeting once his staff has had the opportunity to review the rules and regulations more thoroughly, and once state and federal officials have clarified some contradictory directions. The school board will review and discuss the superintendent’s recommendations during a work session that begins at 11:30 a.m. on April 21. The meeting is being held in the Board Room at the district offices, 712 N. Eugene Street, Greensboro. The public hearing for the budget is scheduled during the school board’s regularly scheduled meeting on April 23. School board meetings begin at 6 p.m. and are held in the Board Room. The school board must adopt a proposed budget and present it to the county by May 15. For more information, please click on the link below.

http://www.gcsnc.com/superintendent/budget.htm

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About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 71,000 students at 120 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. 

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship.  For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.