Bedford County school board signs off on budget with no school closures

BEDFORD — After three months of debate, the Bedford County School Board approved a 2010-2011 budget Thursday that does not close two elementary schools and decreases more than 120 previously targeted layoffs by half.

The $98.8 million budget is a 7 percent decrease, or $7.5 million, less than the current year and will head to the Bedford County Board of Supervisors for consideration. Each funding category of operations, school nutrition, school maintenance and textbooks saw decreases.

Superintendent Douglas Schuch last month recommended closing Thaxton Elementary School and Body Camp Elementary School as part of several measures — along with 124 job cuts — to offset what was feared to be a $7 million shortfall. The “worst case scenario” plan garnered outcry from many residents of those communities but was revised when a new state budget was passed earlier this month.

Schuch said $3.5 million the division stood to lose from the state’s local composite index formula was restored and contributions to employees’ retirement decreased by $2.8 million. The changes led him to recommend keeping the two schools open, restoring 62 jobs, eliminating a 1 percent pay cut to employees in retirement contributions, putting back “B-team” sports in middle schools and not consolidating the Bedford Bridge School and the Bedford Science & Technology Center.

Classroom sizes would increase but not by as much as previously thought, Schuch said. He said a retirement incentive program that has nearly 50 participants should minimize, but not eliminate, remaining involuntary layoffs along with attrition.

The new budget does not include pay raises for employees, which some teachers asked for, but does absorb additional costs of health and benefits.

“It has been a challenge but I’m very pleased with what we came out with,” Schuch said of his first budget proposal as the division’s superintendent.

Dave Vaden, a first-year board member, described his freshman budget talks as an “arduous process but one we survived.”

The budget includes $43.7 million in state allocations, an 11 percent decrease. Federal funding of $10.6 million dropped by 7 percent and the city of Bedford’s $5.1 million contribution decreased by 13 percent. Bedford County’s proposed appropriation is level at $36.2 million and $3.1 million in other revenue sources fell by 9 percent.

Board member Gary Hostutler said the school system is ranked 128 out of just more than 130 divisions in Virginia in per student spending.

“We do quite well for the amount of money we work with,” Hostutler said.

Hostutler apologized for putting communities through school closure talks and employees through a process to seek their input on pay cuts but said “our hands were tied with the information we had.”

A major challenge already lurking ahead for next year, Hostutler said, is an expected $4.5 million decrease from state and federal funding sources.

“Things aren’t necessarily going to get any better,” he said.

Board member David Black said “serious conversations” need to be had next year with county officials for more local money to help the division.

“Our teachers do great things with little money,” Black said.

The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the 2010-11 county budget, which includes the schools’ contribution, on April 12. Supervisors are set to discuss figures with school officials during a 5 p.m. work session Monday at the county administration building in Bedford.