5/11 School Board Meeting

Parents ---

The main agenda item tonight was the revised school budget reductions in response to the Board of Supervisors additional reduction of $317k from the school budget. It was quite notable that the presentation was printed for the SB, but not on the website for the public. The information was projected on a screen, but even moving to the front row it was all I could do to read any of it, particularly at the breakneck pace at which the slides were presented. I obtained a hard copy after the meeting, which I will scan and post in its entirety tomorrow morning. But as a teaser, here are a few notes:

RIF notices were distributed last week (yes, during teacher appreciation week). RIF letters went to 13 teachers (the other reductions are through attrition)

Summary of positions reduced (this is TOTAL, both ones already in the approved budget, plus new recommendations by the superintendent):

21 teachers
5 instructional assistant positions
1 maintenance position
1 procedural due process specialist
1 elementary director
1 HR specialist
1 research and information services position
2 receptionists positions
reduced part-time cleaners hours


"New" reduction recommendations since the 4/6 BOS vote:
$65,000 from facilities (this is the whole facilities budget -- it was "just in case" money, some money is added back to maintenance to offset this)

$13,000 from transportation by reducing number of stops in subdivisions and dead-end roads

$48,000 from maintenance due to reduced electricity rates

Director of Elementary Education (on LOA next year, critical functions assigned to existing staff)

Human Resource Specialist (retired, critical functions assigned to existing staff)

Research and Information Services (resigned, critical functions eliminated or assigned to existing staff)

Procedural Due Process Specialist (position eliminated, the teacher in this position will move back to a classroom position, responsibilities added to school psychologist)

Revised elementary gifted program from center based to school based (assign one enrichment teacher to each elementary school to address Young Explorers and Gifted (grades K-5))

Reduce one additional elementary classroom teacher

GES Odor
Beyond the budget, there was a lengthy conversation about the odor from the bathrooms in Goochland Elementary School. I will spare you the details, other than to say that the school maintenance department has been chasing this smell for 35 or more years. The board approved a request for Mr. Turner to get quotes for professionals to come in and diagnose the root cause of the issue.

Please check back tomorrow for the full presentation once I get it scanned.