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School Boards Hold Off On Round Two Of Budget Cuts
May 8, 2008
The Escambia County School Board held off on round two of budget cuts Wednesday afternoon.
About two weeks ago, the board made $6.2 million in cuts, including 115 teaching positions, 40 elementary school administrative clerks and the assistant principal position at Carver/Century K-8 School.
Facing a packed house at the Hall Center in Pensacola Wednesday afternoon, board members were reluctant to move forward with budget cuts in a plan presented by Superintendent Jim Paul and tabled any action until a future meeting.
”We understand you are seriously considering closing Carver/Century. We’re more than a school there, we do much more than teach the three R’s,” Carver/Century K-8 School teacher Lillian Robertson told the board. “We’re a home for the children. We deal with lots of needy, needy children. We provide them a family.”
The board will hold a workshop meeting at 11:30 a.m. on May 15 to continue discussion on Paul’s plan, but they have stated that no decisions will be made at that workshop meeting.
Paul is proposing to shave another $1.7 million from the budget by:
- Dropping all departments to 2006-2007 funding amounts
- Cutting subsidies for high school sports by 20 percent
- Cutting subsides for high school bands by 20 percent
- Reducing band and football travel monies by 20 percent
- Cutting all funding for high school band uniforms
- Reduce transportation by 20 percent for other sports playoffs
- Cutting middle school bands by 20 percent
- Cutting middle school athletics by 20 percent
- Eliminating Stanford 9 testing
- Cutting field trip funds by 18 percent
- Cutting advanced placement testing
- Reducing travel expenses by 50 percent
- Reducing pay for administrative positions by just two percent
- Cutting classroom furniture repair
- Cutting aquatic center funding 20 percent
- Reducing elementary school special supply costs 50 percent
- Cutting transportation to PATS program
Another phase of Paul’s cuts would:
- Remove the district’s contribution for retiree health insurance
- Cut bus transportation for students within two miles of school
- Close the Program for Academically Talented Students (PATS)
- Cut 10 more positions, on top of the 10 already cut, in art, P.E., and music
The location of the May 15 meeting has not yet been announced. We will post more information on NorthEscambia.com when it becomes available.
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