Campbell school board won't change budget request

Campbell County School Board members told county supervisors Monday that the school board will not consider changing its budget to keep Gladys Elementary School open.

“We put together our budget, that’s what we voted on, and that’s what we will stick with,” school board Chairman Roger Akers said at a joint meeting of the two bodies Monday.

School board member George Jones and supervisor J.D. Puckett expressed a lack of hope following the meeting about the Gladys school’s future. Both have championed keeping the school open, at least for another year.

“It’s really a moot issue to go anywhere else with it,” Jones said. “Nothing the board of supervisors can do about it at this point.”

Over the past few months, political leaders and community members in Campbell County have expressed division over the idea of closing Gladys Elementary School. Last week Campbell County supervisors questioned the school division’s $72 million budget request, which needs approval from the county, sending it back to the board and calling for Monday’s joint meeting.

Leaders of the movement to keep Gladys Elementary School open have proposed decreasing staff at the school and eliminating all Blackberry communication devices used in the division, among other options to save money.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Hugh Rosser asked school officials to consider a plan cutting what he called waste in the school budget in favor of keeping the school open.

School board member Leon Brandt told the supervisors that he was not interested in considering a new plan, unless it meant funds to keep school staff employed across the division.

“You have your mind closed,” Rosser told Brandt, a charge Brandt denied.

Most other members of the school board joined Brandt in defending the school board’s decision-making process, which had been called into question by some supervisors. School board member Susan Hogg spoke up for the Early College program, which had been labeled as an example of wasteful spending by some Gladys school supporters.

The county has the option of decreasing or increasing funding for the schools from the amount the school board has requested. Supervisors will vote on the school budget May 17.

However, Puckett said the votes of four of seven supervisors are needed to make such a change and he does not think there are four votes to change the school budget.

Puckett has said the division should wait for a comprehensive study scheduled this fall to look at building capacities, attendance zones and enrollment projections, before deciding to close the Gladys school.

The Campbell County School Board voted in March to approve Superintendent Robert Johnson’s proposed budget, which includes closing Gladys Elementary School and scaling down the Fray Educational Center.

The school budget would cut 89 teaching positions, one full-time and five part-time administrative positions, as well as 27 other positions, according to Johnson’s earlier presentations to the school board and board of supervisors. He said that some cuts would come through attrition, but close to 40 teachers are expected to lose their jobs.

School board member Barry Jones told supervisors Monday that he continues to believe in Johnson’s leadership.

“That’s our leader, right there,” Jones said. “We as a board do the best we can to support him.”

School board member Gary Mattox was absent Monday.