The Montgomery County School Board met for a work session prior to their regular meeting Feb. 4 to discuss the 2007-2008 budget overview, school needs and a proposed 2008-2009 capital outlay budget. Members of the board met previously to assess needs for all the schools and prioritized the needs at each one.
Superintendent Dr. Donna Peters said the amount needed when the requests for improvements were first received was more than $2.9 million. The board has narrowed the proposed 2008-2009 capital outlay budget for land and building maintenance to $837, 832.
“This is just a first glance to start discussions,” she said. “It’s a starting point for us to center conversations around,” adding that the projects and funds chosen for a preliminary look were a few of the ones they thought most important.
She stressed the need to prioritize even further. “If we used state bond funds, we would be down to $300,00 or $400,000,” she said about the $1.3 million balance in that account right now.
Categories two and three of the capital outlay budget equal $598,967 and include furniture, technology and equipment for eight schools, not including Green Ridge Elementary, bringing the total capital outlay budget to $1,436,799.
Bill Mingin, director of maintenance, brought the condition of the roofs at both middle schools to the board’s attention. “They have been leaking from the beginning,” he said referring to the original construction of the schools 15 years ago. “They are in a continual state of disrepair.”
Little and Associates designed the middle schools and the way the gutters were attached, said Mingin, caused water to leak into the walls. Maintenance crews have been trying to stay ahead of the leaks by caulking the sites of attachment and replacing shingles every time there is a strong storm.
Board member Ann Long said she thought the middle schools were a top priority and that repairs to the roof “should have been done yesterday.” Peters replied that there was no money for the roof replacement in this year’s budget and that they would have to wait until next year.
The total proposed 2008-2009 county school current expense budget the board is considering bringing to the commissioners includes an increase of $1,151,887. Peters mentioned that proposed budget requests totaled more than $8 million, “so the $1,151,887 is conservative,” she said, adding that the items in that budget are just a starting point for the board’s discussion. “We probably have more in requests here than we want to present.”
Lindsay Whitely, public information officer, said the amount includes the highest priorities and described the items listed for funding as “a dream list. We will work on narrowing that down to the highest, highest priority.”
The 2006-2007 budget awarded by the commissioners was $5,982,026 which included an increase of 3-percent, $174,234, said Kathy Johnson, finance director. “Last year we cut as much as we possibly could, so there was very little room to cut here,” she added.
The budget is 19 pages long and includes salary requests, non-instructional and instructional support, technology funds, staff development requests, transportation funds, Communities in Schools funds, various business expenses and plant operation expenses.
The proposed budget for school technology for 2008-2009 is $516,084 with an increase of $226,084. This is mainly for expenses related to state-of-the-art technology at Green Ridge Elementary School, the new school under construction in Biscoe.
Another large increase comes from the proposed teacher supplement increase to 4.5 percent across the board, which means an extra $169,415. The current median range is between 3 and 3.5 percent.
According to Dr. Kevin Lancaster, personnel director, school systems in surrounding counties pay anywhere from 6 to 8 percent for their teacher supplements. “If we think it doesn’t matter, it does,” said Peters regarding teachers who have left Montgomery County to get the higher supplements in surrounding counties. “I want to be able to keep those teachers here. I don’t think we can afford to lose another great teacher.”
Non-certified salaries are high compared to Stanly and Richmond Counties and Asheboro City Schools due to funds provided by the Archer Study. County schools began to implement the study in 1999 and Peters said the funds are the reason for the low turnover among non-certified employees.
The school system used a consulting firm to conduct the study, which provided the schools the “means to evaluate non-certified workers and define equitable yearly salaries for those positions,” Whitley said.
There is a specific range set for each non-certified position and once that range is met, the salary does not increase for that position unless the increase is provided by the state. Salaries are based on job type and years of service and range from $16,300 to $63,380.
“I’m afraid the high-end pay scales (in these non-certified positions) are taking away from teacher supplements,” Chairman Steve DeBerry said. James Spivey agreed, adding that he thought the salary ranges were getting “out of hand.”
The school pays up to $100,000 each year to implement the study. Peters said that an increase of $500 across the board for non-certified positions, instead of the increases the study calls for, would cost another $100,000 more. The Archer Study is ongoing and will continue until the board decides otherwise, said Whitley.
The budget is not set to go before the board for approval until April.
