Amherst County schools budget could face major shortfall

Amherst County’s teachers and support staffers face trouble in the next fiscal budget, because jobs and livelihoods could well be threatened, given state budget estimates, according to the school district.

Such a scenario might call for a different approach this year as the superintendent of Amherst County Public Schools, Brian Ratliff, attempts to craft recommendations for the 2012-13 operating budget.

The upcoming local 2012-13 school budget could be as much as $3.6 million short.

Teachers have not had raises in three years.

Educators are starting to say that the funding level for the next year could drop to 2003 and possibly 2001 levels, said the superintendent, Brian Ratliff.

“I’m not trying to play a blame game, but we know where our loss is coming from, and that’s state funds,” Ratliff said.

“It’s time for someone to step up and say we’re not being fair to our employees,” said the school board chairman, Jones Stanley. He, Ratliff and other members agreed that rather than cutting enough to balance the budget, rather the board should say, “This is what we need … and I’m not afraid to do that.”

“My advice to you, sir, is, have at it,” Stanley told Ratliff.

After more discussion, Ratliff agreed, saying: “You’re right, it’s time.”

Rather than use stimulus funds (which are absent this year) for employee bonuses, the money was used to save jobs. “We have been good stewards of the budget,” said board member Elizabeth Gamble.

The school system’s enrollment and what is known as the composite index are major factors in local budget decisions.

The composite index determines a school division’s ability to pay education costs

fundamental to the commonwealth’s Standards of Quality (SOQ). The composite index is calculated using three indicators of a locality’s ability to pay, according to the Virginia Department of Education:

• True value of real property (weighted 50 percent)
• Adjusted gross income (weighted 40 percent)
• Taxable retail sales (weighted 10 percent)

Each locality’s index is adjusted to maintain an overall statewide local share of 45 percent and an overall state share of 55 percent.

Administrators already are considering who is eligible for a retirement incentive package, and how to protect professional instruction and, crucially, staff support for it — given that the upcoming local 2012-13 school budget could be as much as $3.6 million short.

Their most recent observations came in a meeting last week after Ratliff and board members recognized school counselors and principals and assistant principals, after a particularly hard week. The leaders banded together to help young people deal with the untimely traffic death of a gifted and popular high school senior, Brittni Coffey.

During a moment of silence at the beginning of the meeting, Stanley asked that everyone in the room remember the Coffey family.