The Virginian-Pilot
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CHESAPEAKE
The School Board unanimously approved a $436.9 million budget Monday night with one caveat: It must be changed.
Superintendent W. Randolph Nichols said that without answers from state and local officials about how much money they can provide next year, the administration didn't know how to revise the budget.
If early numbers are right, big cuts are coming.
City officials said in February that revenue collections this fiscal year are lower than projected, which means less funding now and next year. In addition, the governor, House and Senate have each proposed different budgets that provide less money than Chesapeake schools hoped for.
To deal with the immediate shortfall, the division implemented a hiring freeze and slowed purchasing.
The 2008-09 budget calls for $191 million from the city's general fund and $239.7 million from the state. It's likely that the schools could be forced to trim as much as $9.5 million from those numbers.
The amount will change based on what happens at the state level.
"We don't know where the cuts will come from until I know exactly what the amount of revenue is," said Nichols. "We're going to do everything we can to protect personnel and benefits."
Some of the items included in the proposed budget are: 51 new positions, 5.4 percent raises, and costs to open Oscar Smith Middle School and the Technology Academy at Grassfield High School.
The total proposed budget is 7.9 percent higher than the 2007-08 budget of $404.8 million.
Amy Couteé, (757) 222-5216, amy.coutee@pilotonline.com
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Re ,Got2win
Some good points . "most private school teachers do not have the guts to step into the public school arena" not verbatim, anyway..What you refer to as a lack of intestinal fortitude, others may call prudence. If I were a teacher and the salary was even close at all, I would prefer teaching at the private school, just for the aggravation factor alone. Plus they get a lot less students in each class. That's a lot less battles everyday. Less stress, live longer.
Dr T, DDS,
how about you visit the schools and see what the needs are? Morals, character, and societal values have declined for generations to the point where immoral, characterless, valueless citizens are reproducing more of the same. These student citizens expect handouts and to be spoon-fed along the way; then expect to get passed along (and often do) because they show up for class. Why do they show up? Because the immoral, characterless, valueless parents will get busted for their child's truancy otherwise. Plus, free babysitting is great! Did you know that nearly 1/3 of the public school students are special ed.? [Mostly due to ED (emotonally disturded), or LD, (learning disabled)]? Ever heard of fetal alcohol syndrome or "crack baby"?
School Budget & Dr Tabor
Unless the State Lottery can increase it's sales & proceeds to the point....Never mind,... "true that".., but, perhaps you were being generous giving the compared business up to a year . Looks like the old "rock & a hard place" quote is coalescing into fruition.
Translated into English...
This means they intend to spend as much as they can get regardless of what is really needed to do the job. A business that budgeted this way would not last a year.
How about they visit some of the excellent private schools in the area that provide quality education at half the cost and then start their budget at zero and add in those things necessary to accomplish their mission.
Or even better, outsource as much of the task as possible to the private sector which already knows how to operate efficiently.