Board Of Education Continues Work On Proposed Budget For Fiscal Year 2011

Budget Work Session and Budget Hearing Thursday, May 20

The Wicomico County Board of Education will hold two public budget meetings this week as the Board continues to work on the proposed fiscal 2011 budget, which must be adopted by June 30.

The Board will hold a work session at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, May 20, to discuss the proposed budget in detail. The Board will review anticipated revenue and proposed budget additions and reductions. The work session, which will be held at the Board of Education Office, is open to the public, though public comment is not taken during work sessions.

The Board will hold a public budget hearing at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 20, in the Board of Education Office. Members of the public are invited to share their input for the proposed fiscal 2011 budget.

In March, the Board approved the proposed fiscal 2011 budget and sent it to the County Executive. However, the budget numbers have changed considerably since that time.

The fiscal year 2011 Proposed Consolidated Current Expense Budget the Board approved in March is $182,219,716, including $165,552,311 for the unrestricted portion of the budget. This includes a request of $50,596,892 from Wicomico County, the amount needed to reach the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) level of funding for FY 2011. The county MOE funding level for the fiscal year 2011 budget is $184,819 less than the current year amount due to a small decline in the school system’s preliminary enrollment count.

However, the County Executive’s budget submitted to the County Council reduces funding for public schools by nearly $7.6 million, to $43.2 million. The County Council can add to the County Executive’s proposed budget, which the County Council must approve by June 15.

In order for the Board to adopt a balanced budget by June 30, the Board and the school system are evaluating a short list of additions for various fixed costs and seven tiers of budget reductions in an effort to balance the budget. Every effort is being made to keep the effect of budget cuts away from the classroom and away from direct student-teacher contact.

Additions to the General Fund budget total $837,384 (down from $5.6 million in the proposed budget), and would be limited to increases for fixed charges and bus contract rates, impact of the new James M. Bennett High on utility bills as well as rate increases, establishing a budget for replacement of lamps for school digital projectors, changing 1.25 Management Information Systems positions from grant funding to General Fund budgeted salaries, rental space for relocating the Infants and Toddlers Program from its current location at the Holly Center (the school system was recently notified by the state that the school system would have to vacate 4,000+ square feet of space), contracted nursing substitutes, the school crossing guard program which was eliminated by the Sheriff’s Office, a Step-up and Reach to the Stars Program with NASA, and one-tenth of the position of supervisor of Safe/Drug-Free Schools due to the end of federal grant funding.

Offsetting these additions would be approximately $9.1 million in budget reductions, for net reductions of nearly $8.3 million. The proposed reductions are sorted into tiers numbered I to VII, of which the Board is currently discussing using Tiers I through V. Tier VII, which represents the worst-case scenario, outlines cost-saving measures such as a four-day school week, furloughs, and the elimination of extracurricular activities.

The proposed Tier I cuts of $6.36 million include eliminating the Adult Education Program, Beyond the Limits (which is seeking grant and enterprise funding to continue) and the Year Round Education Program at Delmar Elementary; shifting Delmar fifth-graders to Delmar Middle and High; reclassifying, eliminating or not replacing 30.93 positions throughout the school system, primarily due to the Early Notification Program, but also due to program reductions; eliminating the merit incentive for classified employees; and eliminating funding of the OPEB GASB #45 Trust for future benefit costs for current employees from the General fund budget.

Tiers II through V contain many line item reductions that would reduce funding for seminars and conferences, materials of instruction, textbooks, consultants and renovation projects. These tiers do not show any additional position cuts.

There are no COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) increases or step increases for any employees in next year’s proposed budget.