Craven likely to lose teaching positions
Craven County Schools is looking at state budget cuts that could lead to the loss of more than 100 jobs, including teacher positions.
The possible reductions are part of a "worst-case scenario" that local school administrators are preparing for based on a House education subcommittee's proposed budget reductions. Administrators received the proposed figures earlier last week.
The funding projections are still preliminary since the N.C. General Assembly has not approved a final budget, said David Clifton, Craven County Schools assistant superintendent of business and finance.
"The House has not approved the budget, and the House and the Senate need to get a compromise budget, so we're going to be working on this all summer," Clifton said. "But we're trying to identify as much as we can right now to try to be ready to make the adjustments that we need to make."
The possible state funding reductions would mean cuts of 60 classroom teachers and an increase of class size by two students, cuts to two to three assistant principal positions, 45 to 50 teacher assistants, three guidance or media specialist positions, in addition to cuts to substitute teachers as well as clerical and custodial employees.
The system would also lose 50 percent, or $727,923, in low-wealth funding in fiscal year 2010 that would necessitate an additional cut of 16 teachers and six teacher assistants. In 2011, the county is proposed to lose its low-wealth funding entirely.
School administrators are still identifying how many positions would be affected by the proposed reduction to other funding pools, such as state funding for at-risk services.
"This is the worst-case scenario that we've ever seen in our careers," Clifton said. "These are drastic cuts."
Superintendent Larry Moser echoed Clifton's statements.
"This is the worst that I've ever seen in my 30-plus years in the business," he said.
But school administrators are taking steps to curb the funding losses.
Of the potentially more than 100 jobs whose funding is in jeopardy, school administrators have already identified 43 positions that could be funded using federal stimulus dollars. More than 20 positions can be absorbed through attrition measures such as retirements, keeping unfilled positions vacant, or through transfers.
To help with cuts to administration, the position (director of family and community service) in the central office would be left unfilled. The duties have been absorbed by others in the central office, Moser said.
He added that three learning system coaches and a clerical staff member in the central office would not be filled.
But school officials said they are also looking into scenarios other than personnel reductions that could be used to absorb the funding cuts.
"We're right in the middle of taking a look at every other available pot of money," Moser said.
But Clifton said there may have to be personnel cuts in this fiscal year, if the state calls for this amount of funding reductions.
"You couldn't make these types of cuts without cutting in the classroom," he said.
The Craven County Board of Education as well as school personnel have been informed of the possible funding reductions, Moser said.
Clifton said it is likely that the system's proposed $125.5 million fiscal year 2010 budget will be approved before the General Assembly adopts its biennial budget. If so, the cuts would be included in a later amendment to the system's 2010 budget.
The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the system's proposed budget at its June 18 meeting.
"There's a real good chance we're going to lose some personnel," Moser said. "(But) we just hope the final budget is not as drastic as this."
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