Lynchburg City School Board is expected to approve its $86.9 million budget tonight.
What: Lynchburg School Board meeting
Where: School administration building, 915 Court St.
When: 5:30 p.m. today
For more information: www.lynchburg.org
After months of budget talks, board members are poised to OK the budget and forward it to City Council for approval. Council appropriates nearly a third of the division’s budget.
Lynchburg, like other area school districts, struggled with a steep decline in state funding creating a substantial budget gap. At one point during the process the school system was eyeing the elimination of about 80 positions.
During a special school board meeting Thursday, officials said they expect about $2.9 million in stimulus money as part of the state stabilization portion of the package.
With that initial influx of the stimulus dollars, the board will likely approve the budget tonight with the elimination of 68 positions.
Of those 21 are teachers, 7.5 are administrative or central office staffers, 12 are maintenance and transportation employ-ees and 28 are classified staff.
The division’s budget is likely to shrink by almost 2 percent.
Other cost-saving measures expected include elimination of tuition assistance for employees, reduction in drug testing, reduction in textbook purchases and reductions in allotments for library, enrichment, instructional supplies and capital expenditures.
The board is also scheduled to approve its comprehensive plan, review its February finance report and hear a special presentation on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
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