School Superintendent Lays Out More Budget Cuts

School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie said $4.7 million had to be cut from the board of education's proposed fiscal year 2014 budget, based on the fiscal year 2014 county budget discussed by the commissioners Tuesday. 

Guthrie presented a scenario that includes cutting approximately $4.7 million from the $166.6 million budget the board of education submitted to the county commissioners. The following cuts are in the proposed budget:

• $1.9 million in technology infrastructure
• $789,974 in further efforts to offset inflationary impacts
• $1.4 million for 24 full-time reallocated teacher positions (11 elementary school math resource teachers, nine middle school gifted and talented teachers, four special education assessment team members)
• $280,000 in hourly recess monitors
• $200,000 in adjudicated youth
• $84,656 in additional staff turnover

"I did not want to go any deeper with [cuts to] teachers, assistants, custodians," Guthrie said. "In total we've made over $7 million in reductions for next year."

Commissioner Howard said that he doesn't think it's fair that the county gets all the blame for education funding shortfalls. He said there have been decisions made by other entities including the board of education in the past several years that have resulted in some of the budget pain. He specifically referenced the building of Manchester Valley High School. 

"The funding issues come from a combination of things and not just because we across the street won’t spend more," Howard said. "Taking this problem and pointing acoss the street and saying we’re [commissioners] not doing enough is not the solution."

The funding the board of education is trying to work within includes $163.5 million from the county, a .8 percent decrease over this current year and $133.4 million from the state, a 1.6 percent decrease from the current year.

In their budget, the county commissioners also decided to transfer $500,000 of the school system's fund balance to its operating budget for fiscal year 2014, which means the county will fund the school system at $164 million, according to Howard. 

Guthrie has also proposed using $4.9 million of the fund balance to give a 2.5 percent bonuses to board of education employees in fiscal year 2014.

Board of Education member Jim Doolan said bonuses aren't good enough. He said Carroll County is losing good teachers to surrounding counties that have higher salaries. 

"For the first time in my 47 years in this county, I'm ashamed of where we are  and the way we treat our professional staff," Doolan said. "This is unbelievable."

Board of Education President Barbara Shreeve said she has concerns about depleting the fund balance.

The current fund balance is $12.6 million. Guthrie said at a recent meeting that the fund balance is a backup fund to be used for emergencies faced by the school system. There are proposals to use $4.9 million in fiscal year 2014 for bonuses, $500,000 for operating in fiscal year 2014, $4 million for operating in fiscal year 2015 and another $4 million for operating in fiscal year 2016.