Campbell schools chief proposes teacher cuts, school closures

Looking to cut close to $8 million from next fiscal year’s budget, Campbell County Schools Superintendent Robert Johnson proposed eliminating 65 teaching positions and closing Gladys Elementary and the Fray Educational Center.

Johnson shared his proposals with Campbell County School Board members at a meeting Monday night. Johnson said the division could save $800,000 by consolidating Brookneal and Gladys elementary schools and about $1 million by closing the Fray Educational Center.

Eliminating the 65 teaching positions could save an approximate $3.57 million, he said.

The Fray Educational Center is an alternative school and includes students referred for behavioral issues. In response to a board question, Johnson said that if Fray were closed, students suspended or expelled from their regular schools would not be able to go to school in the Campbell County public school system.

Johnson said, for reference, that if board members chose not to close Gladys and Fray, they could look at cutting another 34 teachers overall to get the same saving.

“All of these things are going to hurt students,” Johnson said. “They are going to hurt kids.”

Johnson said that he is working from figures based on Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s budget proposals and a projected increase of roughly $2 million in Campbell County school expenses for next year. His figures do not include the more than $700,000 Campbell County Schools could lose if current Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposal to unfreeze the state’s composite index passes the General Assembly.

Johnson also guessed that without the tax increases included in Kaine’s proposal, the Campbell County school budget deficit could climb as high as $10 million. The General Assembly seems unlikely to pass Kaine’s proposed budget, which relies on some tax increases to make up shortfalls.

Other major proposed changes include restructuring the division’s 20/20 retirement plan (an estimated $500,000 in savings), reducing bus replacement (another $500,000) and $900,000 in other cost-saving measures. In total, Johnson’s cuts would account for about $7.27 million of a $7.89 million deficit, which would leave a shortfall of $624,580, according to the proposal.

Johnson said he plans to ask high school principals to cut athletic schedules by 20 percent. He said he will work with other divisions to try to keep games close to home so athletes don’t have to travel as far.

School board members responded to Johnson’s presentation with questions about his choices and concern about the overall funding situation. Following the recommendation of school board member Leon Brandt, members passed a resolution asking state representatives to delay implementation of unfunded mandates and to freeze changes to the composite index, as proposed by former Gov. Kaine.

School board member Don Roberts said that he had seen nothing like the current situation in his time on the board. “It looks like we are going to have to play the hand we are dealt,” Roberts said. “and hope we do the right thing.”

Next steps

March 1: A public hearing will be held and any additional information will be presented.

March 15: The superintendent will present a draft budget and the board will discuss adoption of the budget.

March 29: If the proposed budget is not approved on March 15, the board will meet on this day to adopt a budget in order to present it to the board of supervisors by April 1.