Bedford Schools Superintendent Douglas Schuch said Friday that eliminating 124 full-time jobs and closing two elementary schools is not “ideal” but necessary to deal with mounting budget cuts.
The $6.1 million that would be generated from trimming staff and another $900,000 from other steps would offset a projected funding reduction of $7 million, according to Schuch’s 2010-11 budget proposal.
Schuch, speaking at a news conference in Bedford on Friday morning, said potentially closing Body Camp and Thaxton elementary schools likely would be an “intense” process that will wear on those communities. He does not take the recommendation lightly or discount its impact, he said.
“We’re looking to capture efficiency as best we can,” Schuch said. “Our number one goal is keeping everyone employed.”
While parents in Body Camp were somewhat prepared due to previous budget discussions, the school closure recommendation made at a school board meeting Thursday night caught Thaxton residents off guard, said school board member Shirley McCabe.
Valerie Detamore, president of the school’s parent-teacher association, said it is “the core of the Thaxton community” and residents would fight to keep it open. They plan to attend a Feb. 25 public hearing to protest the move and also meet with Schuch next Wednesday, she said.
Detamore said she was “shocked” to hear of a looming closure because it had not been previously mentioned. If the school closes, she said she fears the area also would lose its recreation center. Many people in Thaxton live there because of the school and its close-knit environment, she said.
The two schools, which Schuch said have low student enrollment and are in close proximity to other schools, would be reconfigured into preschool centers under his plan, which needs school board approval.
The move would not change any of the division’s school zone boundaries, he said. Students attending Body Camp could attend elementary schools in Moneta, Goodview, Huddleston and Stewartsville while those attending Thaxton could go to schools in Bedford and Montvale.
Schuch said the consolidation of those schools would eliminate 20 positions and save $1 million. Those working at the schools would be part of a “pool of employees” subject to layoffs and would either be let go or reassigned, he said.
The workforce reduction would significantly affect services the division provides, Schuch said, and increased classroom sizes would mean less attention for students and more administrative hurtles.
“These are things we are going to have to grapple with,” Schuch said. “All of our support areas are going to take hits, both at the school level and central office.”
Other measures Schuch proposed include eliminating the early college program that allows students to earn associate degrees, and a benchmark-testing program. Fees may also be levied on extracurricular activities and programs to generate $1 million, though Schuch said they wouldn’t apply to “economically disadvantaged” students.
“We don’t want to do any of those things,” Schuch said. “But we exist for student learning … we feel like it’s the responsible thing to do.”
The Bedford Bridge School would move from its current location across from the school board office on South Bridge Street in Bedford to the Bedford Science & Technology Center on Edmund Street, according to the proposal. The number of staff and students at the Bridge School would be reduced and BSTC programs would be cut.
Barry Tosh, president of Body Camp’s parent-teacher association, said if officials look at every option and still make a final decision to close the school, he would be fine with it as long as teachers don’t see a significant pay reduction.
He said he’d support a local tax increase if it means teachers won’t feel the brunt of cuts.
Supervisor Steve Arrington, who said Friday he wasn’t fully aware of the extent of the schools’ budget situation, said he could sympathize with the division but it won’t sway his opinion that now is not a time for tax increases at the local level.
“I feel very strongly government cannot continue to grow and do the things it’s done,” Arrington said. “This is a tough economy. There are so many people without work; businesses are on the decline.”
Schuch’s proposed budget has the county contribution holding steady at $36 million, though he acknowledged that could change.
Arrington said he could support level funding for the schools but he and the other seven supervisors need to look at the county budget from an “overall” perspective and then decide its contribution.
“There is going to be more of this coming,” Arrington said of tough economic times. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Budget highlights:
Operational fund: $94.2 million (a 5 percent decrease)
Total reduction needed to balance: $7 million
Areas to make up shortfall:
Workforce reduction: $6.1 million
Savings in debt service: $300,000
Delay of bus purchases: $200,000
Other program reductions: $400,000
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