Gloom, doom loom in budget for Pittsylvania County schools [Danville Register & Bee, Va.]

Jan. 03--After being on the Pittsylvania County School Board for eight years, Neal Oakes said he never heard as much "doom and gloom" as he had at the meeting Monday.

Superintendent James McDaniel pointed out the issues the school system is going to face next year, with the biggest being a $3.7 million budget shortfall.

Budget

Although there was an increase in funding for education in the state budget for next year, much of that will go to the Virginia Retirement System. And all funding is meticulously categorized, so each amount must be put toward a specific area, even if school employees disagree where funding is needed.

The county schools have had to cut $11 million from their budget in the past few years. There is $2.4 million in this year's budget from federal funding -- which kept 42 teachers employed -- that will go away next year. They will also have to deal with possible health insurance increases.

State funding is based on standards of quality, but McDaniel pointed out that these standards often don't allow for things like librarians or guidance counselors at most schools. It only approves of funding one principal for two schools in certain areas of the county.

"Can you imagine just having a principle being there every other day," asked McDaniel. "...Don't our kids need them?"

The board of supervisors was also criticized by several school board members for contributing just a minimum of what they could to the schools system.

"There are those on that board that boast about that, but they are the same ones that boast when we win a championship or do something good," said newly-elected school board chairman Calvin Doss.

He and Oakes praised the two freshman supervisors, Brenda Bowman and Jesse Barksdale, who attended the school board meeting.

"You are the first two who have shown any interest in the largest employer of this county," said Doss.

Many of the classes in the county schools are filled with the maximum 35 students due to budget constraints already. And McDaniel said teacher pay is "woefully delinquent" for teachers who have been there longest.

Recruiting and retirements

By not being able to pay as well as many other areas in Virginia, McDaniel said recruiting the best teachers has been difficult. Bringing in new teachers will be crucial in the next few years as massive group of school employees will be eligible for retirement.

Three of five school board executives, four of 11 in the school board office and half of all the current principals will be able to retire as well.

Doss said it is hard to entice people to this area, especially if they are not from here. And many people have left. Student population has been in a decline, which can also cause the school system to lose funding.

Looking for what to cut next year will be extremely hard, McDaniel said, and he urged school board members to look at a lot of programs --from athletics to math labs -- to see how successful they are.

"Unless you cut people, I don't know where else to find $3.7 million," McDaniel said.

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