Campbell County sends budget back to school board

Campbell County Supervisors voted to reject the Campbell County Schools budget as presented and send the schools’ budget back to the school board for potential modification, following a public hearing Monday on Campbell County’s 2010-2011 budget.

The supervisors also passed an amendment that called for the board of supervisors to meet together with the school board as soon as possible. Next week was suggested as a possibility.

All but one of the supervisors voted for the motion to send the budget back to the school board. Supervisor Hugh Pendleton abstained.

Supervisors do not have the authority to mandate how the school board allocates money, solely the discretion to accept or reject the budget as presented.

Several supervisors expressed questions or concerns about the schools budget, after 18 people spoke against it during a hearing on Campbell County’s proposed budget, which includes an allocation to schools. Some members of the board of supervisors said they wanted to know more about the school board’s process of deliberation.

Several speakers during the public hearing voiced frustration about what they saw as not enough public debate and conversation among school board members as a group.

“They never held any budget workshops,” Gladys resident and parent Darryl Whitesell said, pointing out what he thought was an omission on the part of the school board. “This is the superintendent’s, not the school board’s, budget.”

The planned closure of Gladys Elementary School and cuts to school staff positions were the main issues raised by speakers at the forum. Only two people spoke favorably about the county budget, one citing additional funds the county would contribute to the schools next year and the other supporting level funding for the work of the Central Virginia Community Services organization.

Most of the speakers came from the Gladys community, but a few spoke on behalf of other groups including Campbell County teachers as a whole and the Campbell County NAACP. About 150 people attended the hearing and most participated in a standing ovation when Brookneal district supervisor J.D. Puckett voiced criticism of the schools budget.

In his comments, Puckett put forward ideas to come up with money to keep Gladys Elementary open another year. He suggested sharing certain staff between Gladys and Brookneal elementary schools, combining jobs in the central office, and cutting telecommunications and the early college program.

Supervisor Steven Shockley also expressed worries about the school budget.

“I am concerned that Mr. Puckett has done what the school board failed to do,” Shockley said. “I am concerned about teachers being cut. I am not concerned about administrators being cut.”

The board of supervisors is scheduled to vote on the county budget as a whole on May 17.