Budget Passes
On the evening of Thursday, March 26 the Roanoke County School Board voted to approve the 2009-2010 school year budget. This budget was arrived at through the cooperative efforts of many members of the Roanoke County Schools community including the RCEA, Dr. Lange and central office staff, Roanoke County School Board and many others. Each of the key players in the budget effort deserves our heartfelt thanks and understanding of the monumental task that current economic conditions forced upon them. All should take to heart that navigation through the issues and fiscal difficulties at hand presented problems unique to this particular fiscal crisis, the magnitude of which none working in our school system today has experienced. Efforts were made to cause the least disruption to classroom practices and to minimize reduction in staff.
Following are the important points laid out in the 2009 – 2010 budget as they impact schools and staff of
· Salaries are frozen for the 2009 – 2010 school year.
· Health and dental insurance premiums will remain the same for 2009-10.
· Closing of
· Reorganization of Bent Mountain Elementary staffing ($169,644 savings) – the school will remain open.
· Extension of existing early retirement program with limited fillings of subsequent vacancies ($571,739 savings).
· Elimination of 12 positions in Central Office and reorganization of duties ($700,000).
· Staffing changes to retain lower class sizes ($2,380,000).
· Reduction in non-classroom positions in excess of SOQ including guidance, library, secretaries, aides, maintenance, and custodial staff ($1,054,199 savings).
· Reduction in the laptop computer-funding stream of $1,260,500, which eliminates the annual replacement of approximately 1,300 computers; places refurbished 12th grade laptops on carts for 9th grade classroom use and maintains take-home laptops for grades 10-12.
· Elimination of proposed new teacher degree plan that had not yet been fully funded or implemented ($574,948).
· Utility savings from mandatory 4-day week in all school buildings during summer months ($45,000).
· Elimination of elementary SAP program (non-grant funded $70,000 savings)
· Reduction in summer school program ($56,000).
· Elimination of calendar/magnet ($37,000).
· Increases in fuel and utilities ($1,009,332).
· Restoration of $671,290 to the Emergency Contingency after returning $1,000,000 to the Board of Supervisors to offset local tax losses incurred in FY08-09 that had been previously shared with the School Board during the FY08-09 budget process. The Emergency Contingency will have a balance of $1,671,290 in FY09-10.
(Bulleted information gathered from RCPS website)
