 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Stay ConnectedRecognitionsDirectoriesGovernanceTop Links
|
GCS News Briefs
June 26, 2009 Interim Budget Resolution Approved for GCSThe Guilford County Board of Education approved an interim budget resolution Thursday that will allow Guilford County Schools (GCS) to operate in the new fiscal year until the State of North Carolina adopts its budget for 2009-10. The interim resolution will allow the district to pay employee salaries, principal and interest on debt, and other ordinary expenses between July 1 and the adoption of the final budget. While the Guilford County Board of Commissioners passed a county budget on June 4, the district’s final budget also depends on the General Assembly’s adoption of a state budget. GCS receives about 60 percent of its funding from the state, about 32 percent from local sources and the remaining 8 percent from federal and other sources. The General Assembly is considering significant budget cuts to K-12 education. For GCS, these proposals could result in a $40 million cut in state funding. As the district monitors the development of the state budget, it is working toward balancing its own final budget based on the financial outlook for the coming school year. Principals reviewed their staffing plans again this month to cut 118 school-based positions. Currently, there are 78 people impacted by this cut and the remaining 40 positions are vacant. Of the affected employees, 42 career and probationary teachers and one classified employee are targeted for priority placement in the 140 vacancies district wide that were frozen previously. Additionally, district staff members expect to bring forward for contract renewal the names of most interim employees during upcoming board meetings. These employees were notified in June that GCS was delaying the renewal of their contracts due to the uncertainty of the budget. “Letters were sent to interim employees due to the economic conditions, but it is not our intention to displace more than 500 employees,” said Sharon Ozment, chief financial officer. Most of these employees will have their contracts renewed as the district learns more about its budget outlook. Moving forward, district staff members plan to bring a set of proposed cuts before the board at the regularly scheduled meeting on July 7 and schedule a work session with board members at a date soon after to continue progress on the 2009-10 budget. Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green says with year-round schools starting in mid-July, the board must act soon on making some budget decisions. “It is not an ideal way for us to approach this budget, but it is the necessary way,” Green said. As the process continues, GCS is making a concerted effort to keep its employees and the community informed. Frequent updates are provided through employee e-mails, newsletters, the GCS Web site and meetings with principals. “While these have been and continue to be difficult and painful times for everyone in the GCS family and all those concerned with the future of public education in North Carolina, many employees have taken the time to let us know that they appreciate our efforts to keep them informed, even when the news is bad, and the news has often been bad this budget season,” Nora Carr, chief of staff said. She added that the budget situation remains fluid. The General Assembly plans to pass an interim state budget in the coming weeks, but the state’s final budget is not likely to be approved prior to the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The district welcomes thoughts and comments at feedback@gcsnc.com. GCS Budget Update - More State Funding Cuts PossibleAccording to state education groups, the Senate and House budget conferees are considering more funding cuts for public schools. A proposal to reduce the central office allocation by 50 percent is on the table, as well as the various proposals to increase class size from one to three students and transfer school bus liability claims to local districts, among other cuts. The projected state savings for the so-called “Yellow Bus Provision,” which shifts bus liability claims to school districts, is $6.8 million for 2009-10. However, claims over the last several years have been closer to $13 million per year. For GCS and other districts, this means the possibility of spending $350 - $500 of locally funded dollars per bus to purchase insurance for liability claims. GCS has approximately 634 school buses. In addition, it may be difficult to purchase insurance because the state Attorney General’s office would continue to oversee claims, which could leave the district and its insurance carrier few options in defense or settlement of claims. The Senate is likely to vote on a continuation budget on Monday. The “Yellow Bus Provision” has been in a back-and-forth motion, but we will continue to update you as more information becomes available from the budget conference. If you would like to share your views, click here for a list of budget conferees or here for state representatives. GCS Lunch Prices Change for 2009-10The Guilford County Board of Education approved an increase in the price of school lunches for the 2009-10 school year. The price of school lunches will increase 50 cents for elementary schools and 30 cents for middle and high schools. The price change is needed in order for GCS to keep the School Nutrition Services Fund out of debt and cover costs associated with preparing meals. The increase in prices, only the third in the history of GCS, does not affect students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Also, despite the increase, the price for school lunches in GCS will still be below prices charged by other school districts in North Carolina. For the 2009-10 school year, school lunches will be $2.30 for elementary schools, $2.40 for middle schools and $2.50 for high schools. Adult meal prices will not change since food items are a la carte for adults. The 2009-10 GCS lunch prices are lower than some North Carolina school districts and higher than others. The lunch prices for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Davidson County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools would be 5 cents to 50 cents higher than GCS. The prices for lunch in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Wake County Schools and Alamance County Schools would remain 30 cents to 50 cents lower than GCS. Child nutrition programs in school districts across the state are operating in debt. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the average cost of producing a school lunch rose from $2.80 to $3.20 during the 2008-09 school year. The average cost to paying students across the state was only about $2.00. Also, federal funding for free and reduced lunch does not completely cover the cost of producing a meal. The federal reimbursement of $2.57 per student on free lunch falls short by 63 cents, while the reimbursement of $2.13 per student on reduced-price lunch plus the 40 cents paid by the student falls short by 67 cents. In addition to price increases, School Nutrition Services will make reductions in the number of menu choices, serving lines, supplies purchased, van rentals and breaks in serving time schedules where appropriate. Limits on computer equipment replacement and uniform purchases and a discontinuation in printing menus are also recommended. These changes will help the district generate sufficient revenue to cover expenses and indirect cost in 2009-10. For the 2008-09 school year, the district anticipates that the net loss in the School Nutrition Services Fund is approximately $600,000, excluding an estimated $2.1 million in indirect cost and nearly $503,000 in unpaid meal charges that must be covered by the district’s local fund since School Nutrition Services cannot write-off debt. For more information, please contact Cynthia Sevier, director of school nutrition services, at 370-3257. New Administrative Assignments
For more information, please contact Dr. Peggy Thompson, chief human resource officer, at 370-8340. We Want to Hear from YouAt GCS, we are constantly trying to improve our methods of relaying information to you. You can help us by taking this short survey . The survey will close on Monday, June 29. We will use the results to improve our communication and help keep you on top of what’s going on in our schools. We appreciate your participation! School Newspaper Wins State AwardsThe Northwest High student newspaper, Northwest Horizons, won five awards from the N.C. Scholastic Media Association last week. In competition with large high school newspapers from around the state, students who publish the newspaper won the following awards for the 2008-09 school year: First Place Second Place Third Place The newspaper also received the highest ranking of All-North Carolina. For the 2007-08 school year, Northwest Horizons was a Newspaper of Honor. For more information, please contact Principal Angelo Kidd at 605-3300. GCS District Relations Wins National AwardsThe National School Public Relations Association recently recognized the work of the GCS District Relations Department with three awards: Award of Merit – Achieving Education Excellence (Strategic Plan) The competition is open to public school districts of all sizes nationwide. There were 955 entries in this year’s contest, with 78 receiving Awards of Excellence, 168 receiving Awards of Merit and 226 receiving Awards of Honorable Mention. For more information, contact Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355. The Latest News from GCSGCSTV 2-Live Graduation Gallery
|
|||
|
||||
 |
||||
