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School system cuts 3 percent from budget

DETAILS

Capital projects for 2009-10 year:

• Windows will be replaced at Tuttle, Startown and Maiden elementaries

• Roof work at several schools

• 1 new vehicle for maintenance

• New water heaters, hall lighting and other energy retrofits at some schools

• 2 new activity buses

• 3 yellow school buses

• $4.4 million renovation at H.M. Arndt Middle School that will include a 12-classroom addition, a new administration area, a new media retrieval system and expanded seating at the cafeteria, among other things

What was cut in the state’s reversion ($2.7 million):

•12 of the teacher positions that were eliminated

• 2 unfilled instructional support positions

• All 69 of the eliminated teacher assistant positions

• Some money from the academically gifted (AG) program

• Some classroom material money

• Some money from the at-risk program

By Sarah Newell Williamson | Hickory Daily Record

Published: October 6, 2009

NEWTON - Catawba County Schools' budget was cut by 3 percent this year.

The school system's budget for the 2009-10 budget is about $152.4 million. Last year's budget was larger, but also included funding for the new Snow Creek Elementary School and additions and renovations to three high schools. This year, the capital projects are smaller.

The school system did have to make some cuts to its budget, including eliminating 43 teaching positions, 69 teacher assistant positions, the director of school safety — the person retired — three central office and school support positions, an assistant principal position and three middle school literacy coaches, among others.

"We're trying as much as possible to protect the classroom. We knew we'd have to make cuts," said Tim Markley, superintendent of Catawba County Schools. "It was impossible to avoid some cuts. We planned for a 5 percent cut, and it was only 3 percent, so we were able to hire back some of the teachers we let go at the beginning of the summer."

Many of the teachers who did not come back this school year were either retirees or temporary employees with one-year contracts, said Sondra Wolfe, finance officer for Catawba County Schools.

The school system also received $4.6 million in federal stabilization money, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"We reallocated our money to pay for teachers," Wolfe said. "That was the most efficient way the money could be used, to make the most of the allocation."

The stabilization money paid for the salaries of 91 teachers, Wolfe said.

Catawba County Schools also received $5.1 million in stimulus money for Title 1 and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which will be spread over two years, Wolfe said.

Stimulus money is paying for additional positions in the system using money from IDEA. Each elementary school in Catawba County Schools will have a position for a program called response to intervention.

"Most elementary schools chose a teacher assistant for the position, who would have been eliminated," Markley said. "The position is paid for with IDEA stimulus money. They start out doing a data assessment on everyone in the K-2 level. Then they look at students who are missing a skill, and get them caught up so they won't need special education. It's data assessment and student intervention."

Catawba County Schools also hired three response intervention teachers with Title 1 stimulus money, Wolfe said, and some additional exceptional children teachers with IDEA money.

The school system also budgeted something extra in as a precaution: $20,000 in custodial supplies to provide hand sanitizers for the middle and high school cafeterias. There will not be hand sanitizers in the elementary cafeterias.

"The elementary schools have better procedures for getting kids to the bathrooms to wash their hands more often," Markley said, adding that teachers usually have the students wash their hands just before lunch.

He said the school system wanted the sanitizers in the cafeterias because this flu season was predicted to be worse than usual.

Catawba County Schools did cut money in a few other areas, though. This includes cell phone contracts for bus drivers. They were previously budgeted $38,500 for cell phones. That's been slashed to $8,500.

"We renegotiated their contracts, and are using minute plans instead of flat-rate plans," Wolfe said. "Very seldom do they talk on them (cell phones)."

The school system also was required to make a reversion by the state — meaning the state told them they had to cut nearly $2.7 million, but Catawba County Schools got to decide where the cut would be made.

"This has been an extremely tight year, trying to provide the best we can for our students with what we have," Wolfe said. "We've tried to preserve the classroom and make as little an impact as we can."

Markley hopes that next school year, he'll be able to bring back a few additional teachers. The kindergarten class size was smaller this year because the cut-off date was moved up, meaning fewer students were eligible for kindergarten this year fewer. The number of students in the class next year should be back to the usual number.

"We should be able to bring back a few more positions next year, if the teacher allotments remain the same," Markley said.