The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
The School Board on Tuesday adopted a $639.2 million budget for 2010-11 that won't increase class sizes.
The budget, 4.8 percent smaller than this year's, will shrink personnel funds but won't result in any layoffs or fewer class days or classroom size changes. Each was considered a possibility under earlier budget projections.
The state budget restored $14.9 million to the school division to cover the change to the composite index formula, which funds public schools. The state budget also helped the schools spend millions less on retirement payments.
Avoiding layoffs is a relief, said Dominic Melito, president of the Virginia Beach Education Association, which represents about 2,100 teachers and other school employees. However, the budget doesn't project raises for employees in either of the next two years. They didn't get raises this year, either.
"Expectations continue to rise, and somebody has to step up and do something to help our public school employees," Melito said.
"We're doing some things we wouldn't normally do," said Superintendent Jim Merrill, citing "the use of one-time money to plug holes." But he said it's necessary to get by. The budget for the next two years will be balanced using most of the school division's reserves.
Despite avoiding cuts that would affect day-to-day operations, board Chairman Dan Edwards said "it's still a really tough budget," down $58.1 million since 2008-09.
School officials will present the budget to the City Council next week.
The 2011-12 budget may be more difficult. School officials expect to make 3 percent cuts across the board and foresee possible increases to class sizes.
Also Tuesday, the board heard some ways that the new national health care bill could affect schools. First, the division will need to cover dependents up to age 26, which could increase costs by $1 million, said Chief Financial Officer Farrell Hanzaker. In the midterm, costs are likely to rise because of restrictions on annual and lifetime coverage limits. And in the long term, employees could face excise taxes on high-cost plans, he said.
Hanzaker also told the board about a plan to eliminate paper checks for employees, converting all to direct deposit by the end of October. Hanzaker said the division would work with local banks and credit unions to establish low- or no-fee checking accounts for the 9 percent of division employees who do not use direct deposit. New employees are already required to use direct deposit.
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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well
Whining? Excuses?
Submitted by Bchgirl24 on Wed, 04/21/2010 at 11:38 am.
Hey 2 cents-would like to see you spend a day in the classroom before you make such comments on the profession!!!!
Well darling, I'm in the trenches everyday and I rarely have those types of problems from my students. The biggest problems with our schools are the administration and the lack of a real work ethic among most teachers. Like I said, a whole lot of whining and excuse making.
This is for those of you who think teaching is easy:
Today I had a boy who kept saying inappropriate things to the other students because "he didn't take his meds." I had a gifted class who could not follow instructions because they either aren't so gifted or they can't listen. I sent two boys to the office because they were being disrespectful while I gave instructions and were disrupting the rest of class preventing them from continuing with their projects. I called a parent because their son received a "N" in art because he couldn't finish his project in 9 art times. I have had autistic children who scream the whole class. I have had ED children who crawl around on the furniture and floor and chase other children with scissors.
Then there is the Principal who doesn't think the cover for a kindergarten art book should be laminated...too expensive.
I have had kids threaten me, call me names, threaten to get me fired, sue me, steal from my desk and steal my purse, call my home and leave strange messages. I have had a Principal twist my thumb until I said he was a "good Principal."
And I could go on....
Whining? Excuses?
Hey 2 cents-would like to see you spend a day in the classroom before you make such comments on the profession!!!!
Fire the School Board
Here we go again ... the School Board spends what it can get ... not what it needs. The elementary school class sizes are running around 17 or less. The state standard is something like 25. If we go to 20 ... we can save millions. The school system is also operating five school buildings more than is required (identified in their studies) at a cost of around $1,000,000 per building each year (their figures). They have a bloated Administration and Management group that needs to be trimmed by 25%. They wasted $100 Million by destroying schools and replacing them ... rather than modernizing the existing buildings. The people should demand new leadership that is attuned to the burden taxes impart on the citizens. We need to fund what is required for educating our children ... but wasteful spending must be brought under control.
Thanks
I ran across an old photo taken of the class when I was in the forth grade at Oceana School. We had 32 students, if no one was absent the day the picture was taken. If Miss Kunkler could teach 32 students then, I don't see why a teacher should panic if she has 20 students today.
I attended VB schools from
I attended VB schools from 1959-1972. Average class size was 30-32. Of course, we were much more well behaved and parents made sure we did our homework and respected the teacher. Kids who disrupted class were removed.
thanks
fourth grade
oh, scary
increasing class sizes....scary scary..... the sky is falling
a 10-20% increase amounts to the addition of 2 - 3 students --- everyone panic, total chaos will result
You teachers are your own worst enemies, no wonder so few respect the "profession", you don't deserve it with your constant whining and excuse making.
great job VB
The school board has done a great job the last several years utilizing their funding smartly and focusing on students. Other cities should look on with envy based on the expertise of the school board and senior staff who some teachers beat up so much. If only City Council can do the same--now that the former VB school board vice chair is on council maybe she can help.
They have...
They have done a great job in utilizing funding. However, employees have not even received a COLA raise no raise whatsoever. This means a lot, even a 2% raise would be appreciated. After this is over, we will have gone four years without a raise and still moving with the economy....something does not balance out here.