The Virginian-Pilot
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CHESAPEAKE
On Monday night, the School Board approved a budget that eliminated several field trips, cut back on travel and training for staff, added new testing fees and raised tuition costs for adult education and driver's education programs.
The budget that was passed did not include layoffs - but it's also very preliminary. The spending plan put forward by Superintendent W. Randolph Nichols was based on revenue from the budget proposal by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine before he left office. The actual budget passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bob McDonnell will likely look very different.
"Don't count the chickens yet," board member Harry Murphy said. "There's probably going to be a lot of gut-wrenching adjustments that need to be made."
The board did make one tweak to Nichols' original proposal, agreeing to cover fees for the battery of tests required for students in the International Baccalaureate program to receive their diplomas. Nichols had proposed no longer covering the costs of the tests, which are about $650.
As approved, the budget cuts back on some student amenities, such as a concert at Chrysler Hall for fifth-graders, and an end to covering registration fees for Model United Nations groups. The division would also no longer pay for Advanced Placement tests or dual enrollment tuition, which it previously covered for students. It will still pay for low-income students.
On the personnel side, the budget would cut back on the use of substitutes and on instruction for homebound students.
It also eliminates 90 vacant positions, including 45 teacher slots.
From here, the School Board's budget is sent to the City Council. The budget is sent back to the School Board in May for final approval.
The administration did provide finalized estimates on what each of the budget proposals in Richmond could mean for the school system.
While the budgets proposed by the House and McDonnell mean larger cuts for the school system, under the Senate's budget proposal, the division would actually have to cut about $2 million less than under Kaine's plan.
The General Assembly is supposed to pass a budget before it adjourns this weekend; if budget negotiations are not successful, however, the session could go longer.
Alicia Wittmeyer, (757) 222-5216, alicia.wittmeyer@pilotonline.com
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Low Income Students
Isn't it funny how fees will be added to certain things such as AP tests and Duel Credit courses but NOT to the "low income students"! Now I ask you, how is that fair? Many students have parents that make a good amount of money but have BILLS they pay! Many of these students ALSO as the "low income students" do not have money for college. The difference between the two is that the student who has parents with money but pays bills with their money does NOT qualify for ANYTHING! The low income student who has parents that don't make much and also most of the time don't pay bills ontime is able to go to college for free, live for free, eat for free, and OMG they must be allowed to also take tests for free now while the rest of us pay twice! ONce for our own children and another time for the low income student! I'm so over the way our system works! When is it that the people who work EVERYDAY and pay bills EVERYDAY will be rewarded with someone else paying for something twice for us to get something free other than us always paying out the arse?
The good ol'
Gravy Train! Makes you wonder why you work so hard just to carry the lazy and irresponsible of society on your back, doesn't it?
Right
We should all quit our jobs and start living the high life!