County BOE looks for more money

Jeremy Nash news-herald.net

Loudon County Board of Education continued discussions Thursday on the upcoming budget with the goal of deciding what to request from the county in new money.

Proposed cuts in the budget include $730,000 from 13 teaching positions, a 10 percent reduction, or $163,000, from the instructional supply fund and $100,000 less for technology. Other cuts include $50,000 for contingency teaching staff and $20,000 for contingency teacher assistant staffing.

Rollover revenue is expected to be counted, which is something in years past the board has not been allowed to do, Jason Vance, director of schools, said. The proposed budget does not include growth money.

“I think we should never request less than our growth money,” Vance said. “I think we should always expect that that’s part of the deal, or as much money as you think is appropriate. So I’m not knocking any department. I’m proud about us moving forward with the jail and things like that. I know they’ve got very specific needs and a comment was made they’re asking for 20 cents.

“They obviously have some needs that need to be addressed, but my argument is if you don’t support the school system, build your jails bigger because you’re going to need extra help in years to come,” he added.

The county is in the process of a jail expansion that should be complete in January. Loudon County Sheriff’s Office has requested more tax dollars to cover additional personnel for the jail and office.

Gary Ubben, board member, believes the BOE should work with LCSO and collectively ask for a request of equal amount, noting he doesn’t want to see the school system falter.

“That would allow us to team together rather than to compete or fight each other,” Ubben said.

Craig Simon, board chairman, fell more in line with asking for growth money.

“You can shoot bullet holes in that request,” Simon said to Ubben. “I don’t see how you could ever shoot down growth money.”

Regarding proposed position cuts, Vance said some are by attrition, while other employees are not being asked back because they “didn’t meet principals’ expectations.”

The board could choose to add teaching positions back, but doing so would cost about $50,000 each, Vance said in a follow-up interview. More significant actions will need to be made for the 2020-21 year to make the budget work, he said.

Board members at one point discussed asking for 10 cents and growth money. Twenty cents was also considered.

“I think you’re going to get laughed at,” Bobby Johnson Jr., board member, said. “I think if you ask for growth you might, I doubt it, but you might.”

Vance requested each board member mull what to ask for by Thursday’s meeting. The next step will be for Vance to formally present the budget to the county.

“I’ve been on the board for six years and we’ve taken a million and a half to two and a half million dollars a year out of fund balance ever since I’ve been on the board to make the budget work. I mean that’s just the fact of life,” Philip Moffett, board member, said. “If we don’t have it next year, we don’t have it to take. Then you lay off a slew of people. I don’t know how many, but it’s a slew.”

Vance recommended a new bus contract since the current agreement ends this year. The contract would be four years with at least the first year including a 3 percent raise.

“They do an amazing job and take care of our kids very well,” Vance said. “Additionally, it’s quite challenging to be a bus driver in today’s climate. I’m not sure what the board will consider, however, I believe they should adopt a four-year contract with a 3 percent raise for drivers for this first year with the understanding we will provide a commensurate raise that we provide teachers and staff in the last three years of the contract.

“… We have conducted business with the current contractors from about four years to 50 years,” he added.

Vance said the new agreement would add about $50,000 to the bus contract for the first year.

“The way I look at it is, is we put it down there and we know exactly what we’re going to be giving them for the next four years and it’s locked in,” Johnson said.

Negotiations have been on an annual basis the past four years, Vance said.

“Fixed costs go up with inflation and where we make it up is we cut our instructional costs,” Ubben said. “So if you look at the budget over the last 10 years, we’ve put a smaller and smaller percentage of our dollars into instructional expenditures each year because we can’t control the fixed costs. ... At one point we had 78 percent of our costs gone to instructional. It’s gone to 77 and 76 and 75 and 74 (percent) if you look at our budget over the last 10 years and the ones that suffer are the ones that draw the instructional money, our teachers.

“It’s one of the reasons I fight for more money because instruction ends up suffering because we can’t control the electricity, we can’t control a lot of the bus situation,” he added.