Wicomico County Board of Education Reviews Proposed Budget Reductions for Fiscal 2011
The Wicomico County Board of Education will continue to review and discuss proposed budget reductions in anticipation of having substantially less funding for fiscal 2011. The Board received the proposed reductions at a work session Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Among the proposed reductions discussed at the work session are a redesign of the Magnet program, elimination of Adult Education, Beyond the Limits and the Year Round Education Program at Delmar Elementary School, and many staffing changes. All of the proposed budget reductions would be difficult, the Board said, and all will be discussed in the coming weeks and months as the Board prepares to adopt a fiscal 2011 budget to send to the Wicomico County Council by March 15.
The Board and Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen said that the focus will be on preserving a high-quality education for all students and keeping the effect of cuts away from the classroom, while at the same time not eliminating personnel the school system needs to carry out its mission of providing “all students an educational foundation and a set of skills which will enable them to become responsible and productive citizens in our society.”
The Board of Education will hold its first public input meeting of the fiscal 2011 budget year on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 5:30 p.m. in the Wicomico High School auditorium. Please call 410-677-4561 for information.
The Board has already been informed by County Executive Richard M. Pollitt Jr. that it will receive approximately $5 million less from the county in next year's budget, and that the county would not therefore meet the Maintenance of Effort requirement for the school system to receive new state aid. Pollitt has also informed the school system that, based on projected county revenues, the county anticipates reducing funding for Wicomico County Public Schools over the next several years. The school system may also see reduced state funding next year. State aid is based upon a school system's full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment as of Sept. 30 each year. As of Sept. 30, 2 , the school system's FTE enrollment for state aid purposes declined by 51 students, even though overall enrollment actually increased by 29 students with prekindergarten students included. Current state aid formulas exclude prekindergarten students from the Sept. 30 FTE calculation.
At the work session, Dr. Fredericksen presented the Board with two tiers of budget reductions totaling nearly $6.5 million for fiscal 2011; these Tier I and Tier II proposed budget reductions will be posted on the Board's web site at www.wcboe.org.
The Tier I reductions of $5.9 million will almost certainly be needed to prepare a balanced budget, though there could still be changes to some of the items listed in Tier I, Dr. Fredericksen said. Tier II reductions of almost $588,000 have also been identified, to be used if needed. The superintendent and his staff have prepared additional tiers of reductions in case they are needed.
Tier I of the proposed budget reductions includes four major program changes. Approximately $344,000 could be saved by serving Magnet-eligible students with accelerated programs in their home schools instead of at regional centers. Another $296,000 will be saved by the elimination of the Adult Education program, which is moving to another provider in accordance with state funding. The Board would save about $180,000 by eliminating the Beyond the Limits ropes course program. Finally, approximately $75,000 would be saved by ending the Year Round Education program at Delmar Elementary and serving those students in the traditional program at Delmar Elementary.
The proposed change in Magnet would result in students no longer being transported to one of two Magnet centers, but instead being served with Magnet-level instruction at the home school. This would increase the opportunity for high-achieving students to receive accelerated instruction, since right now many Magnet-eligible students do not attend Magnet at North Salisbury or Pemberton elementary schools due to concerns about transportation time or due to a desire to remain in the home school. Changing the way Magnet instruction is delivered would expand the opportunity to more eligible students, reduce transportation issues, and save money on staffing and transportation, Dr. Fredericksen said.
“We are not taking away the Magnet program,” Board President Mark S. Thompson said. “We're looking at expanding it, and not just expanding it, but offering it in more elementary schools.”
“It's an expansion of the program, not doing away with it,” Board member Ronald Willey said. “I would very much oppose doing away with that program. We need that program,” Willey said, to challenge highly able students who are performing well beyond grade level. Dr. Fredericksen has a team working to develop that same rigor in all home schools with intermediate grades.
A decision on proposed changes to the Magnet program must be made in time to correspond with changes made as a result of redistricting. The Redistricting Task Force is currently gathering information and will make recommendations to the superintendent in a few weeks.
At the end of this fiscal year, June 30, 81 employees will retire through the school system's Early Notification Program. “It is our hope to save significant budget dollars by not filling 25-30 vacancies left by ENP retirements,” Dr. Fredericksen said.
In addition to positions cut through the alteration or elimination of the programs described above, other position reductions in Tier I (totaling 30 positions) include reducing three elementary math and four elementary reading professional development coaches, converting four in-school suspension teaching positions to instructional assistants, converting some psychologist positions to 10-month positions, eliminating a vacant project manager position from Facility Services, realigning Central Office staff to eliminate at least one position, eliminating four secondary teaching positions due to realignments, and replacing staff positions for the Instructional Resource Center and a new teacher mentor with contractual help.
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