The Catawba County Schools system hopes the federal stabilization funds will carry it through the year, but it is still having to make some cutbacks.
"There are no salary increases in the budget," said Sondra Wolfe, finance director for Catawba County Schools.
Currently, the federal stabilization money is helping to finance several support positions in the school system.
Although school districts have not been told what the state will do with its budget, they have been told by officials that the economic outlook is not positive.
The schools system is looking at an additional $3.6 million reversion, Wolfe said. That is money the school system would have to give back to the state after the school system has been given its budget.
The system would decide where the cuts would be made. Wolfe said that is $1 million more than this year's reversion.
In addition to state cuts, Catawba County may cut its funding to the school system, said Superintendent Timothy Markley. He said the county may reduce its funding by 3 percent, although 2 percent — $495,255 — is more likely.
At a school board retreat Tuesday, board members reviewed a proposed local expense budget.
Although some areas stayed the same from the 2009-10 school year to the 2010-11 year, such things as regular teacher salaries, high school textbooks, custodial supplies and other areas have proposed cuts.
Funding for staff development will be reduced by 25 percent across the board, and the funding for library books for each student is proposed to be dropped from $11 per student to $9 per student. That would save nearly $35,000.
Technology funding would also be reduced by $80,000, or 10 percent, for computer upgrades.
The school system also is proposing reducing funding for remediation from $7 per student to $5 per student, which would save $34,000. Wolfe said that if the school system sees there's more money available than it thought, this is one of the first items that will be restored in the budget.
Transportation and central office supplies both received a 5 percent cut, and maintenance repairs received a 10 percent cut.
One proposed increase is to digitize the records of the graduating class, so that they will no longer be on microfilm. The school system budgeted more than $11,000 for it for the 2010-11 school year, up from $4,000 this year.
The total proposed base budget for Catawba County Schools for the 2010-11 school year is $27,417,297. This is 2 percent, or $556,700 less, than the 2009-10 school year's budget.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement