Budget cuts will set schools on backward path, board says

(March 6, 2009) Worcester County schools will be forced to take "a giant leap backward" thanks to the deep budget cuts mandated by the county.

There was no love lost between the board of education and the Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday when the board met for its last review of the budget before it is adopted in two weeks.

The commissioners issued a directive for the board to cut the budget by 3 percent, something the board members have repeatedly said will have negative repercussions on the students. To date, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Andes has trimmed $2.6 million from the budget, but thanks to $2 million in anticipated increases must still cut $1.6 million more.

"The only place to get that is to cut money that affects people, and people means programs," he said, adding he has already cut from every single line item that does not directly affect personnel.

Even in the tough financial times, all other school systems in the state are keeping their school budgets steady, board President Bob Hulburd said. Cutting Worcester County's school budget will only hurt the top performing school system in the state, he said.

The greatest reduction proposed so far is in the area of instructional materials. The textbook budget was nearly cut in half, to $264,000, and Andes said principals will be faced with tough decisions on which books are most in need of replacing. Chief Financial Officer Vince Tolbert said this will reduce the textbook funding level back to that of 1996.

"So we're stepping back 13 years?" board member Doug Dryden said.

Teachers could be forced to pay for materials themselves, as the instructional materials budget was also chopped in half. One of the proposals the board members said has drawn the most criticism was the decision to cancel all field trips and cut back on other activity-related trips to save $121,000.

"These are a vital part of the instructional program," Andes said. "These are very difficult budget decisions to make."

Funding for the security cameras installed in the school buses was cut by $7,500. Andes said the cameras have proven invaluable in keeping the buses safe but there was no other choice.

"We're hoping none of them break," he said.

Sorely needed renovations to Snow Hill High School and Showell Elementary School have been delayed indefinitely, and Andes was forced to cut maintenance costs by $15,000. Capital improvement funds were reduced by three-quarters to $100,000 and the technology budget was cut in half.

"We've already determined much of this budget is a giant leap backward," board Vice President Bob Rothermel said.

At the same time, unavoidable costs such as medical insurance, equipment leases and water, sewer and utility bills are expected to increase by $2 million, a figure the board considered a conservative estimate.

"This is sending a message to our community that we're not investing in our children, and that's a shame," Hulburd said.

Andes is now faced with the unenviable task of cutting the remaining $1.6 million from the rest of the budget, the personnel costs, by March 17, the date the board must adopt the budget and send it to the commissioners for approval.