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Clarke Schools Hit
Hard by Budget Cats
The Clarke County School Board last week
approved a tentative budget that includes
more than $7 million in cuts, including first
grade and media center para professionals
throughout the district plus special education
teachers, a nurse and a psychologist.
Even with the cuts, the school dis
trict's $117 million proposed budget is still
about $7 million short That's because, as
Superintendent Phil Lanoue explained to
the board, going into FY2013, the district
needed about $125 million just to maintain its
expenses from the previous year—with health
insurance costs, teacher retirement benefits
and required teacher pay increases costing
another $4.3 million. With
about $110 million in fund
ing from federal, state and
local sources, that means,
even with the proposed
cuts, the district will have
to pull from its reserves to
balance the budget
The district has had to
work with steadily decreasing budgets of late,
largely thanks to repeated "austerity cuts" the
state began about five years ago, lanoue said.
Since he came to the district in 2009, Lanoue
said the state has reduced what it appropri
ates to Clarke County schools by $27 million.
In order to bring the budget closer to
its $110 million target, proposed reductions
include increasing last year's three furlough
days to five, and an across-the-board 2 per
cent reduction in operational costs. The dis
trict also will save $1 million on its workers'
compensation insurance premium.
But the most contentious of the cuts
come from positions that deal directly with
students. The budget proposes eliminating 32
first-grade parapros and 16 in media centers,
plus two special education teachers, two
speech pathologists, a social worker, a psy
chologist and a nurse, saving $1.5 million.
Eight elementary teachers, eight middle
school and 11 high school teacher positions
will also be eliminated, lanoue maintained
these reductions follow enrollment trends, and
said the district will be hiring additional for
eign language teachers to reflect demand from
students. "We met with the schedulers and
went through the numbers," Lanoue said when
School Board President Charles Worthy ques
tioned why English, science and math teachers
would be cut "We went through our class size
numbers, [and] they're still very reasonable."
He also opened the door to using Title I
money for each school—federal grants based
on free and reduced-price lunch numbers—to
hire back parapros. But that
decision would be left to _ .
the schools, which earmark
the money each year for
specific supplies and staff.
Other cost reductions
come from re-evaluating
enrollment class trends
and various programs. For ‘
example, nearly $500,000 was saved by reduc
ing contracts with the alternative educator .
Ombudsman due to fewer students in the
program, and $117,000 by putting building
services and custodial services under one man
ager, reducing one administrative position.
The public can weigh in on the proposed
budget at three hearings before its finalized
' at the June 14 school board meeting. The
meetings are May 15 at Alps Road Elementary,
May 22 at Gaines School Elementary and May
24 at the district office on Mitchell Bridge
Road. AU meetings are from 6-7 p.m.
Kristen Morales
The state has reduced
what it appropriates to
Clarke County schools
by $27 million.
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Your Drinking?
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problems. _ t
Q Participation will indude 5 In-person assessments, Including 4
sessions of individual outpatient treatment for alcohol problems.
Q You will be asked to take a medication or placebo on two occasions.
Q There is no cost for the treatment
Q You will receive up to $395 for participating.
Q Call 706-542-8350 for more information.
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For more info, visit us at
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Great American
Clean-ap
Adopt-A-Kighuwy Challenge
ACC Local and State Roodways
N0W-MAY17TH 8Ant-3PM (MON-SAT)
Compost Sale
ACCIotW
H0W-MAY15TH
Tarn up the Sole,
Georgia
Shoe Drive for Soles4Souls
ACC Sold Waste Depatment
SATURDAY APRIL 28
Spring Bird Hike
This one is a field trip to
Kennesaw Mountainl
Meet at the Shops of South Athens on Milledge
behind the Waffle House at the bypass
. in time to LEAVE at Sam
SATURDAY APRIL 28 1QAM-12PM
Save the Frogs Day
Sandy Creek Nature Center
SATURDAY APRIL 28 1QAM-2PM
Shreds & Meds
Shred up to % boxes of
personal documents and dispose
of old, expired or unused
medications for FREE!
ACC Recytfing Center
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APRIL 25,2012 - FLAGPOLE.COM 5