Districts present budgets to County Board

Cutline:
Photo by Naeem Mcfadden
School District superintendents presented their proposed budgets for the 2008-09 school year to County Board of Education members June 3. All three discussed the uncertainty of base student cost funding.

Marion School District 1 Superintendent Michael Lupo presented a budget he said included no new positions, no step increases other than for teachers with 22 years or less experience, no cost of living increase, a reduction of five teaching positions through attrition and redistribution of staff.

“We’re presenting a balanced budget with or without the stimulus dollars,” he said, adding that the $2,300 base student cost includes school stabilization funding.
MSD 1 highlighted a $17,397,785 budget that included cuts in overtime, tuition reimbursement, administrative travel and school supplies.

“This budget is about $1.2 million short in revenues,” Lupo said, adding that $500,000 in Tier III funds and about $700,000 from the general fund balance will be used to help balance the budget. “Good news, we’re not operating in the red,” Lupo said. The board approved the budget proposal.

Marion School District 2 superintendent Nathaniel Miller presented a balanced budget that included a base student cost of $2,100, adding that the district lost $900,000 in funding and it didn’t included the stabilization funding.

Miller reported no salary increases and some positions were eliminated. As board members looked over the list of the figures, Miller repeated the district didn’t raise any salaries aside from the step increases.

Miller reported across the board reductions for the $11,361,355 budget and said it included $724,000 in savings compared to last year. Miller said 18 to 20 teaching positions were eliminated. “We had to RIF quite a few people,” he said, adding that there was a reduction in classified, teaching and administrative positions.

Board members fired off a round of questions to Miller concerning the loss of positions and their perception in the community. Miller said several positions included aids, assistants and programs and some were unfilled.

“We’re dealing with reality as we know it… we didn’t go through and fire a group of teachers,” he said, adding that the district didn’t put 18 working teachers out on the street.
However, Miller said if the base student cost funding is back at $2,300 per student, then the district may be able to add staff.

“All of 2008-09 salaries are going to carry over just as is outside of the teachers…you may see an increase, but no one else is getting one,” Miller said.
However, board members voted down the budget proposal 5-2. Board members Mark Sawyer and Ronald T. Bell cited concerns with salary figures that were inaccurate. Board members Cynthia Leggette and Levant Davis voted for the proposal.

“There are some numbers that went up more than $2,000. There are five or six that have changed drastically more than $2,000. They’re not supposed to be raised, they’re supposed to remain the same,” Chairman Donnie Hill said, adding that the district was notified about the matter before the presentation.

Marion School District 7 Superintendent Everette Dean presented a budget that included a $2,300 base student cost. However, Dean reported over $98,000 in cuts during the 2008-09 fiscal year. Utility costs are up, he said.

The district has made plans for upgrading Internet services, but reported no allocation for the Marion County Alternative School. Eight positions were eliminated.
Board members approved the budget proposal.

All of the superintendents said the current budget crisis is uncharted territory.
South Carolina’s Supreme Court has ordered Republican Gov. Mark Sanford to request $700 million in federal stimulus money, which would head primarily to cash-strapped schools over the next two years.
MSD1 and MSD2 said they included the funding in their budget proposals, however, MSD2 didn’t include the stimulus funding in its budget proposal.

Comparison of budgets by districts:

District 2009-10 Budget
MSD1 $17,397,785
MSD2 $11,361,355
MSD7 $5,189,197