The Virginian-Pilot
©
Forget about new athletic equipment in Norfolk schools next year. Say goodbye to the district's school for pregnant teens.
From special programs to the commonplace, a broad swath of Norfolk's public education would shrink or disappear under the $301 million school budget pitched for next year.
The centerpiece of Superintendent Stephen Jones' proposal is the elimination of 410 positions, including 135 teachers.
There is no school-by-school breakdown yet on the job cuts, because unknowns such as retirements, routine turnovers and next year's enrollment figures will determine where positions are eliminated, spokeswoman Elizabeth Thiel Mather said. But 27 administrative and clerical positions at the division's central office would be cut.
Overall, school spending would shrink by 13 percent from this year to offset higher fixed costs and a cut in state aid totaling $40 million, Jones told the School Board last week.
Proposals being considered in the General Assembly could push that shortfall as high as $61 million and force Norfolk to close schools or cut wages, Jones said.
The School Board has no power to tax or raise funds on its own, Chairman Stephen Tonelson reminded the public at a meeting last week.
"The School Board can only spend as much money as we're given," he said. "There's absolutely nothing we can do about it."
The public can comment on the budget Wednesday at a 7 p.m. hearing at Norview Middle School. On March 17, the board will also take public comments during its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. in the board meeting room at the Central Administration building.
It is scheduled to adopt the budget March 24.
Shirley George of the Education Association of Norfolk said she was dismayed that teachers, who haven't gotten salary raises in recent years, would see take-home pay fall because of higher retirement and health insurance deductions under the budget.
At Wednesday's public hearing, "You'll have people lined up out the door to speak - parents, teachers, all phases of the education community, civic leaders," she predicted.
School leaders mentioned months ago that class sizes likely would increase to help cut costs. Under Jones' budget proposal, fourth- and fifth-grade class sizes would grow to 24 students per teacher, up from the current ratio of 22-to-1. High school classes would rise to 22-to-1, compared with 19-to-1 now. However, teacher-student ratios in kindergarten through the third grade and in middle school would not change.
Coronado School, which strives to keep teen mothers and pregnant students from dropping out, would be closed. The school, which has been open for more than 20 years, enrolls about 80 students who take parenting classes as well as academic courses. Those students would return to their local schools.
Other cutbacks in the budget proposal, posted online at www.npsk12.com, include:
Extracurricular activities: A 20 percent cut would be imposed on activities that include student clubs, band and choral groups, commencement activities, Saturday detention and remediation instruction for the Standards of Learning. The Dreamkeepers Academy after-school program would also be eliminated.
Summer school: A 41 percent cut on activities that include a free summer remedial program for students who aren't reading at grade level or with failed SOL tests. A Summer Leadership camp and tuition-supported arts enrichment programs for elementary and middle school students also could be affected.
Athletics and competitive after-school programs: An administrative position charged with overseeing such programs would be eliminated and each school's athletic fund would be reduced by half. In addition, no new equipment would be purchased for programs that include high school drama, debate and sports, as well as middle school sports and intramurals. Total spending in this area would drop 40 percent.
Middle College: The division would save $249,000 by eliminating this program that allows juniors to take Tidewater Community College classes and receive dual college and high school credits at no cost to students. Twenty-six Norfolk students completed Middle College in 2009, collectively earning 780 college credits.
Community Resource Centers: All four computer centers, staffed and equipped by the division for public use, will be cut to save about $242,000.
Cultural enrichment program: The division would no longer pay for admission costs and transportation for student field trips to museums, symphony concerts and cultural events.
In addition, bus routes will be expanded so that fewer school buses and drivers would be needed.
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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Where is OBAMA
What happen to the change. No spare change for Norfolk.
Well we will get free health care.
A Sad Situation
At the end of the day, it's these children that suffer, not the triflin adults that put our kids in this situation. All these cuts, while only a small number of adminisrtative staff cuts.. my opinion, start at the top and lets cut some salaries of folks that sit i air conditioned offices and do lunch all day, not the salaries of the teachers who work directly with our children. Ekiminate the use of all these blackberries that even the janitor has. The staff can fall to a 4 day work week because really, are you working that hard that you have to be in the office 5 days a week. If you go in and do what you are paid to do and eliinate the social chatter, you can do it in 3 days. Half the staff works on 4 days, while the other half works 4 days, alternating days to come in. Get some recycling bins in the schools and use them. The list goes on and on of ways to save without hurting our kids.....
Closely Examine How the Money is Being Spent
If one closely examines the budget, there are hundreds of thousands of dollars budgeted for travel and food for several departments. Shouldn't this be a year that we freeze travel and use that money to keep people employed?
No shortage of money being dumped into Va schools
No resources, no support, are you real? Per pupil spending in the state of Virginia increases 37% between 1986 and 1998 when the supposedly "death star" of education, the abolition of the car tax was enacted. Since 1998 per pupil spending has increased 172%. Furthermore, Virginia uses a weighted allocation method that allocates higher levels of funds based on certain criteria. For example, if it cost X to educate a child with no educational difficulties and no poverty or language deficiencies, the X is the base.
The weighting takes assigns a plus value in the following manner
1.9(X) severely disabled
1.2(X) poverty
1.2(X) non-English speaking
1.2(X) learning disabled
X all other (base)
then students per district are counted and sorted into these groups and funding is allocated on this weighted basis.
So schools with more severely disabled, poverty, learning disabled, and non-English speaking are given a higher share of dollars to account for these problems.
Money, and allocation of extra resources is the not the problem.
This is not about not enough money..it is about waste
No resources, no support, are you real? Per pupil spending in the state of Virginia increases 37% between 1986 and 1998 when the supposedly "death star" of education, the abolition of the car tax was enacted. Since 1998 per pupil spending has increased 172%. Furthermore, Virginia uses a weighted allocation method that allocates higher levels of funds based on certain criteria. For example, if it cost X to educate a child with no educational difficulties and no poverty or language deficiencies, the X is the base.
The weighting takes assigns a plus value in the following manner
1.9(X) severely disabled
1.2(X) poverty
1.2(X) non-English speaking
1.2(X) learning disabled
X all other (base)
then students per district are counted and sorted into these groups and funding is allocated on this weighted basis.
So schools with more severely disabled, poverty, learning disabled, and non-English speaking are given a higher share of dollars to account for these problems.
Money, and allocation of extra resources is the not the problem.
the real money pot
The real money pot is all the 503(c) non-profit organizations. The billions of dollars in stock, land, and mutual funds held by these supposed non-profits is just disgusting. Most of these organizations do nothing but transfer grants back and forth between each other, with very little going towards the hungry, homeless, education, and all other societal ills that their tax exemption is suppose to enable them to do.
Someone Mentioned Taxes..
...and recession?
I believe one poster on this issue in another thread stated his feelings about LRT and the salaries they are paying, as well as the studies they are doing. His next statement?
"tax the churchs"!
With that kind of money...Not only could you feed the children, but you could hire teachers to administer the SOL's without cheating..
...and still have money left over for the choo choo train!
Warner, you make all very good points.
MY point was ... we are told we are in a deep, deep recession. The worst in many years.
Unemployment, bankrupties, and foreclosures are running rampant.
Education budget cuts are deeper than many could imagine.
Children are not getting the nutrition they need.
Yet, as a nation, we were able to afford to spend over a billion dollars for a very small sliver of our recreation ... seven movies.
Yes. It's THEIR money and they may spend it as they wish.
I just hope that those who are spending it on things like movies aren't the same ones complaining that their children are being denied breakfast at school.
Virginia State Budget
Take a look at the Virginia State Budget. I can't help but wonder why a school like, UVA which is sitting on a three and a half billion dollar endowment, is given 998 million dollars out of the state education budget. Please can you spare me a few bucks? I only have three and a half billion dollars left. Help.
Even if they gave..
..500 million, they would still earn interest on the remainder.
Your comments are correct-why do the get that much money when they are sitting on a fortune is beyond me.