GCS Takes Steps to Address Possible State Budget Cuts

For GCS, the state legislature’s proposals could result in a $40 million cut in state funding

Contact: Haley Miller (336) 370-3200
Created: 6/1/2009 6:56:24 PM

The North Carolina state legislature is considering significant budget cuts to K-12 education. For Guilford County Schools (GCS), these proposals could result in a $40 million cut in state funding.

As a result, GCS must take some significant measures now in order to develop a balanced budget for 2009-10 and meet the legal requirements for notifying probationary teachers (non-career status teachers). Probationary teachers must be notified of the status of their contracts for next school year by June 15. During these tough economic times, the district also wants to give any employees who may be affected by these budget reductions as much notice as possible.

To meet the $40 million reduction, GCS officials are recommending to the Board of Education that the district cut 13 percent from central administration budgets and consider increasing class size by one student, potentially impacting about 145 to 150 positions. About 12 to 13 elementary foreign language teacher positions also could be eliminated, excluding foreign language immersion and International Baccalaureate (IB) foreign language teacher positions. Principals will begin adjusting their staffing plans later this week.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the state budget, the district also will delay renewing contracts for all interim employees. Any interim employees who may be affected by these decisions have been notified by human resources. “It is our hope that the budget situation in Raleigh will stabilize and that we will be able to provide more definitive information soon regarding contracts for next year,” said Dr. Peggy Thompson, chief human resources officer. Interim employees are those individuals who serve on a temporary contract, which is revisited annually. They are provided a contract that stipulates a beginning and ending date for their employment, typically June 16 or the last day of school. Interim employees include those who are not in fulltime positions; have been employed for less than 120 days; are on emergency, provisional or lateral entry licenses; are retires; or, are Visiting International Faculty (VIF) teachers.

All affected employees will receive more information regarding their particular situations during the next two to three weeks, once schools make further revisions to their staffing plans.

“We recognize that this is distressing news, and we want to emphasize that we are taking this step in order to deal with potentially catastrophic budget reductions at the state level,” said Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. “This action is not a result of any performance-related concerns, nor is it a reflection of how much we value the hard work of our employees.”

Again, these cuts are only a recommendation by GCS administration. The board will make any final decisions. GCS encourages any employees feeling stressed by these tough economic times or other issues to take advantage of the resources offered through human resources and the online Employee Support Center, which is linked below.

http://www.gcsnc.com/hr/rif/index.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.