The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Carrying signs and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with "Save our Schools," school employees turned out Wednesday night to demand that funding cuts for the schools be restored.
More than 500 people filed into the Granby High School auditorium for a public hearing on the budget.
"Shame on you," said Virginia Davis, a school nutritionist, "for trying to save money at the expense of the children."
Faced with declining revenue, City Manager Regina V.K. Williams balanced her proposed $1.17 billion budget by reducing expenditures for all departments and the schools.
City employees will face a 1 percent pay cut, but none will be laid off.
Teachers and other school employees avoided layoffs and pay cuts, thanks in large part to federal stimulus money. But many were far from thankful, and some were offended by a suggestion made by Mayor Paul Fraim last month that school employees also take a 1 percent pay cut.
"Teachers have never received the pay they deserved," said Marian Flickinger, who heads the Norfolk Federation of Teachers. "As if that is not enough, Mayor Fraim wants us to take a pay cut."
Her remarks were met with cheers from the audience.
Fraim said Wednesday that he never intended for teachers and general school employees to accept a cut - just administrators.
He said that while he sympathized with teachers, "I don't know of any school system in the commonwealth that is giving raises."
Other speakers expressed anger about the state of the city's aging school buildings. Anne Costis, a volunteer at Dreamkeepers Academy, described overflowing toilets and sinks.
Peggy Scott, a volunteer at Tarrallton Elementary School, said "if children are not going to be your priority, then voting you out of office will be mine."
Charla Baucom said Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are spending far more on school buildings than is Norfolk. And Judy Thaler called the state of the schools disgusting.
Only a handful of city employees spoke.
Michael McKenna, head of the police union, asked Williams to tap into the city's rainy day fund to avoid furloughs and to "cut the fat in the budget, not jobs."
A hearing on the city's real estate tax rate will be held at 6 tonight, also at Granby.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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How About LESS Money for Schools
For 30 years I have heard the annual cry from the teachers and PTA's "we need more money for better schools" and yet they flounder even worse year after year. Meanwhile the schools have become more minority, more poor, and less effective as fewer of our 9th graders see graduation and the collective GPA goes down. Meanwhile the private schools in the city pay their teachers and staff less, give them less benefits and succeed in their mission. Maybe we need to privatize all the schools and give the public the choice of where to send their kids.
"Save our schools" -- what a
"Save our schools" -- what a joke! How about "Fire our teachers!" We spend mountains of money on education and just look at the results. One tiny cut and these people are up in arms. Just listen to them trying to make it sound like we're burning children at the stake. No - you deserve a pay cut - heck, our school system deserves to be scrapped altogether.
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It is time these cities realized they need to cut jobs. They have padded their personnel ranks for years while the population was basically stagnant. Private workers are being laid off, taking reductions in pay, and losing benefits. Its time the fatted calf is slimmed down. There is no better time to get rid of dead weight and stop smothering the wallets of the citizens that pay their salaries.
won't impact education
We are spending more per child in the school system than ever before and the results aren't proportionate. These cuts are minimal and it is time for the school board to learn to live within a reasonable budget. Cut out the non academic stuff and maybe they will learn something.