[SutherlandMatters] Support the Albemarle County Public Schools!

Fri Mar 30 22:08:25 EDT 2007

The next and possibly final opportunity for the community to show support
for Albemarle County Schools in coming next week. While most of families
will be enjoying their Spring Break, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) will be
holding a public hearing next week Wednesday, April 4th, 6:00pm.

It is important for parents and education supporters to contact BOS members
and to attend the public hearing in support of education funding.  Please
encourage education supporters to sit together during the public hearing.
The BOS acknowledges a visible presence at public hearings.  There is great
strength and message in numbers !!

Did you know a local community group is encouraging citizens to attend the
BOS April 4th public hearing and bring 1 tea bag to present to each BOS
member???  The tea bags are to represent the taxation issue relative to the
historic Boston Tea Party. The education community - parents, teachers,
students - needs to share its message of support for education with the BOS
members.

A helpful and informative Budget Update (dated March 29, 2007) is provided
on the County Schools' website, and is reproduced below.  It reviews the
facts that the BOS has advertised a real estate tax rate of 70 cents per
$100 assessed value (lowered from the current 74 cents).  This requires the
School Board to reduce its 2007-08 school year Funding Request by at least
$2.5 million. 

This means reductions to existing programs:  school bus replacement,
textbook replacement, small capital improvements to schools (i.e. painting,
minor repairs), elimination of International Baccalaureate program (IBO),
eliminate Director of Transportation position. This also means elimination
of new initiatives:  no full time Hispanic/Latino coordinator, no Suspension
Center for students with discipline issues, no increase for summer teacher
training, no Administrative Intern Program, no increased staffing for
teachers who provide support for technology in instruction, no increased
technology support, no improvement in market competitiveness for most
experienced teachers.

The possibility exists that the real estate tax rate could be lowered even
more! Such a cut could require additional School Board reductions by:
charging fees for high school athletics and strings, raising class sizes,
reducing teacher compensation increases to below market levels.

The county budget document is presented on the County's website, you can
find it by following these prompts on the County website:
www.albemarle.org
"What's New?"
"Recommended Budget" - budget summaries, as well as the entire budget is
available on this web page for detailed review

While we strongly encourage parents and supporters of quality public
education in Albemarle County to attend the April 4th BOS public hearing in
support of education funding, we know that many will be out-of-town. You can
still show your support by sending an email or calling BOS members.

Please take time to send an email before you leave town for Spring Break
next week.  Let the BOS members know that you support  full funding for
education! 
The time you spend now contacting the Board of Supervisors TODAY will help
our children during the current and upcoming school year.

All BOS members may be emailed:   bos at albemarle.org

The BOS members are:

Ken Boyd (Chairman) kboyd at albemarle.org, 434-977-9981
David Wyant, dwyant at albemarle.org, 434/823-5818
David Slutzky, dslutzky at albemarle.org, 434/989-5888
Sally Thomas, sthomas at albemarle.org, 434-295-1819
Dennis Rooker, dsrooker at earthlink.net, 434/977-7424
Lindsay Dorrier, riverstreet4444 at yahoo.com, 434-286-9399

Thank you for your support!

Tom Pajewski (tompajewski at earthlink.net)
Baker-Butler PTO President
Albemarle County Schools Parent Council Member

Budget Update - March 29, 2007

The Albemarle County School Board has selected a series of reductions to its
2007-08 school year request in reaction to a decision by the Board of
Supervisors to reduce the real estate tax rate.

Lowered real estate tax rate = less funding for schools
The majority of School Division funding comes from local sources, primarily
the real estate tax. When the real estate tax rate is reduced, the level of
funding for the School Division declines. At its March 21, 2007 work
session, the Board of Supervisors agreed to reduce the current real estate
tax rate of 74 cents per $100 assessed value by a minimum of four cents. The
Board of Supervisors voted 4-2, with Lindsay Dorrier, Dennis Rooker, David
Wyant, and Ken Boyd voting to advertise for public hearing a real estate tax
rate of 70 cents per $100 assessed value. Supervisors Sally Thomas and David
Slutzky voted against this rate. This action triggered the need for the
School Board to reduce its 2007-08 school year Funding Request by at least
$2.5 million. It is also possible that the School Board may have to cut
significantly in the current school year to meet this rate reduction.

More tax rate cuts being considered; schools brace for deep cuts
By law, once a real estate tax rate is used in an advertisement for a public
hearing, the rate can¹t be raised beyond the advertised amount. The rate can
still be lowered. This means the real estate tax rate could be set by the
Board of Supervisors at any rate up to 70 cents per $100 assessed value, but
no higher. The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on April 4
and will vote on the final real estate tax rate on April 11.

With the real estate tax rate unknown at this time, and with some Board of
Supervisors members voicing support for a lower tax rate of 68 cents, the
School Board must prepare for a range of possibilities. A 68 cent rate may
require additional cuts of $2.95 million in the current school year and $5.2
million from the 2007-08 School Board¹s Request.

Cuts impact schools now, next year
A rate reduction may impact this school year¹s funding due to the process
and timing of real estate tax collections. Albemarle County collects real
estate taxes two times each fiscal year, in December and June. The projected
real estate tax revenue to be collected in June is included in the budgets
for this fiscal year for local government and the School Division. The vote
by the Board of Supervisors to reduce the current tax rate to a maximum of
70 cents will affect the June real estate tax collection, reducing the
amount of revenue received this fiscal year.

Schools react to first round of funding cuts
The School Board held a special meeting March 20, 2007 to review budget
reduction recommendations from the superintendent. The School Board revised
the list of possible reductions and presented them to the Board of
Supervisors on March 21. On March 22, the School Board selected budget
reductions in reaction to the Board of Supervisors vote for a maximum tax
rate of 70 cents.

In selecting these reductions, the School Board operated from a series of
assumptions that included minimizing the impact of reductions on teaching
and learning, maintaining support for core instructional programs,
minimizing the impact on employee pay and benefits, and supporting staffing
standards for schools.

The reductions to existing programs the School Board plans to implement are:
* Reduce funding for school bus replacement by $100,000
* Reduce funding for textbook replacement by $124,231
* Reduce funding for the Building Services Department for increased
materials and supplies costs for small capital improvements to schools such
as painting or minor repairs by $100,000
* Reduce funding for the specialty center concept by $130,000, eliminating
research and development of the International Baccalaureate program
* Reduce by one full-time equivalent (FTE) an emergency teaching staffing
position at $62,649
* Reduce existing central office staff by at least one FTE at $97,345
* Eliminate the Director of Transportation position at $145,123

The School Board¹s original Funding Request included several new initiatives
that have been eliminated for a total reduction of nearly $1.9 million. By
eliminating these initiatives, the School Board will:
* Not increase the Hispanic/Latino coordinator position to full-time
* Not implement a Suspension Center for students with discipline issues
* Not increase funding for summer teacher training
* Not implement a proposed Administrative Intern Program
* Not increase staffing for teachers who provide support to other teachers
for technology use in instruction
* Not increase technology support staff to meet needs
* Not improve our market competitiveness for our most experienced teachers

Although the Board of Supervisors has discussed providing the School
Division with additional revenue from sources other than the real estate
tax, it has not been decided. The Board of Supervisors is reviewing how it
may re-direct or generate other revenue to give the School Division
additional money equivalent to one cent of the real estate tax rate. The
School Board¹s reductions represent the maximal school division revenues
presented to date to the Board of Supervisors.

Schools keep more cuts on table; more reductions possible
The School Board has kept a list of possible cuts on the table should
Supervisors adopt a real estate tax rate below 70 cents. The list of other
possible cuts includes:
* Reducing staffing or charging fees for programs including high school
athletics and strings;
* Raising class sizes;
* Reducing employee compensation increases to below market levels;
* Reducing professional development funding for schools and teacher course
or conference reimbursements;
* Reducing custodial service in schools including substitute cleaning crews
when night custodians are absent.

The Board of Supervisors will adopt a tax rate on April 11. The School Board
is scheduled to meet April 19 and April 24 to make additional cuts, if
needed, and adopt a final, revised budget for next school year.

Variety of ways for public to give input
Public input can be submitted to the Board of Supervisors by e-mail, in
writing, by phone or by speaking during a public comment section of the
final public hearing. Key dates are listed below.
* Wed., April 4: Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Tax Rate proposal.
At this point, the tax rate cannot be raised, only lowered. Speakers can
sign-up from 4 to 6 p.m. outside Lane Auditorium in COB-McIntire. The public
hearing starts at 6 p.m. Speakers are limited to three minutes per person.
* Wed., April 11: Board of Supervisors adopts budget.  A short period of
public comment is possible prior to setting the rate. 

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