Clarke school district looks at layoffs

The outgoing superintendent of the Clarke County School District has recommended a budget with furloughs, layoffs and other sweeping spending cuts to help eliminate a projected $9.2 million budget deficit for next year.

Among his proposals: Furloughing all nonteaching employees two to five days a year; eliminating some office jobs and all first-grade paraprofessionals; and increasing employee contributions for health insurance.

Interim Superintendent James Simms discussed the proposed cuts with school board members at an agenda-setting meeting Thursday and announced the proposed cuts in a late-evening e-mail to school district employees.

"Everyone realizes how difficult this is and I think we've made the best recommendation we could make to the board under the circumstances," Simms said. "We've tried to be compassionate, but at the same time, we have some tough choices we've had to make and we feel we have the right blend of compassion and tough choices."

The school district will collect about $120.5 million in local, state and federal funding next year. This year, the school district spent $126.8 million, Simms said.

The school district also must plan for additional expenses, such as mandated pay raises for teachers and increases to insurance premiums, which brings the shortfall to $9.2 million.

The proposed furloughs, job cuts and eliminating other expenses such as travel for school board members close the gap by $5.5 million.

Simms' other recommendations also deducted "one-time" expenses of $2.7 million.

But even with those cuts, expenses still outstrip revenue, so Simms proposed dipping into the school district's contingency fund.

"That leaves us $1.7 million short of the $9.2 million needed to balance next year's budget," Simms said in his e-mail to staff. "However, I believe that $7.5 million in cuts is all we can bear at this time."

Public schools across the state have had to consider employee layoffs and other cost-saving steps after state legislators cut funding to whittle down a $1.6 billion revenue shortfall.

Last week, the Jackson County School District agreed to lay off nearly a dozen teachers and 26 other staffers to help make up a $4 million deficit.

Other school districts across the region have implemented hiring freezes and restricted spending to make up for anticipated losses in state and local revenue.

The Clarke County plan includes eliminating all 59 first-grade paraprofessionals, as well as positions for 10 elementary, two middle school and 15 high school teachers. The staffing cuts will save about $2 million.

Seven vacant administrative positions will go unfilled next year, including the director and an assistant of accountability and school improvement, technology, information directors and technicians and an English for speakers of other languages assistant.

All staff except teachers also will be subjected to either a five-day or two-day furloughs for a savings of about $350,000.

The board is scheduled to approve the tentative budget at its regular meeting next week.

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