[MeriwetherMatters] Special Budget Edition March 19

[MLS Matters]

Congratulations MLS Parents !!  
  Thanks to all who attended the Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting last Wednesday the 14th in support of full funding for education.  The standing-room-only crowd sent the BOS a very clear message !  It was truly democracy in action, and you are to be congratulated on your hard work in spreading the word.  Your emails and phone calls help make the difference in education funding for our students.
   
  Our job is not complete, however.  Here is a schedule of upcoming budget events:
   
  Tuesday, March 20th the School Board will meet to discuss possible budget cuts based upon the BOS proposed tax rate cut (no public comment allowed)
  Wednesday, March 21st the School Board will meet with the BOS to review potential budget cuts based on the proposed tax rate cut (no public comment allowed)
  Wednesday, April 4th - BOS will hold a public hearing to receive public comment about the tax rate cut (public comment encouraged!)  This is during our Spring Break, so it may be difficult to get a crowd of education supporters to speak to the BOS.  Please save this date, and if you are in town during Spring Break, please plan to attend - and spread the word !
  Wednesday, April 11th - BOS will set the tax rate and approve the final budget
   
  County Schools staff has reviewed past and current initiatives to determine possible funding reductions.   The reductions range from $1.89million for a 2 cent tax decrease to $5.48million for a 6 cent tax decrease in available local revenue.  These are some of the areas being considered for budget reductions:
   
  1 - increase class size ratio
  2 - increase custodial square footage cleaning ratios
  3 - decrease K-1 hourly TA support
  4 - decrease math specialists FTEs
  5 - decrease extracurricular athletics operational support
  6 - decrease transportation costs (school bus strategies)
   
  The BOS and media report that although the BOS are considering a tax cut, it will still provide additional funding for the County Schools budget.   The BOS and School Board previously decided that they want to support a competitive market for our educational system.  The decision comes down to - does the school system cut services, salaries, and/or increase class sizes to meet the funding reductions, or do we support full funding in order to remain competitive ?  The increase in funding the BOS indicates will occur, will not be enough to meet mandates, operational costs, and salaries in order to support the two boards' jointly established goal to be a competitive educational system.
   
  For more specific information, you can review the report to the School Board, which details possible cuts and the budget implications.  It is listed under Reports to the Board for the March 22nd School Board Work Session with the BOS on the schools website (you may need to insert this web address in your address bar):
  
http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=14831

   
   
  Please continue emails and phone calls to the BOS members.  The BOS members need to hear from the education community in support of full funding for education in order to remain a competitive education system and to prepare our students to be successful within our community and the global community.
  
An easy way to email the BOS is:
   
  bos at albemarle.org
  
 
   
  Thank you for your commitment to our MLS students !
   
  "Mary Huffard" Kegley Scott
  Parent Council Executive Committee & MLS Volunteer Coordinator
  maryhuffard at yahoo.com
  293-8587

 
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