At a budget meeting before the board's regular Thursday meeting, Sanderson and district CFO Mike Addison presented a detailed chart of the projected budget for FY2011, which begins July 1. The chart included a breakdown of exactly how much money can be expected from federal, state and local revenue sources. It also included how FY11 is looking compared to the FY10 budget and previous years.
Addison explained that the previous projected shortfall of about $100 million for FY11 was based on the governor's proposed budget, and included a $25.8 million, or 4 percent, revenue increase to the district. Based on that budget, he projected $820 million in revenue and $922 million in expenditures - a shortfall of $102 million. However, Addison delivered the bad news, saying that number was overly optimistic.
As a conservative accountant, Addison came up with his own projected budget based on a decrease of about 3 percent in state revenue for FY11.
"This is based on the governor's proposed budget, and he is assuming a 4 percent growth, and as Mr. Sanderson said, we really question that," Addison said. "For the past year, state revenues have decreased 13 percent; for the past month it was 10 percent. We really think the governor's proposed budget is very, very overly optimistic."
With the new shortfall projection, Dr. John Crooks, the board's budget liaison, pointed out that the "likely cuts" Sanderson unveiled on Tuesday night at the community budget forum only adds up to $93 million - $44 million less than the district's revised projections.
"So what we're really saying is that your $93 million suggested targets are just the beginning," Crooks said. "We have climbed the mountain two-thirds of the way up, and we still have to get to the top. And the difference between 137.7 and 93.2 is where we've got to find the additional reductions."
Some of the likely cuts include: increasing maximum class sizes (for a savings of $53 million); six furlough days for all staff ($19 million); eliminating buses and stops ($2.9 million); reduction in central office and central support ($8.1 million); among others.
Board member Alison Bartlett expressed her concerns about increasing the maximum allotted class sizes, which means fewer teachers. She said that would adversely affect student performance.
When Bartlett asked the superintendent how he arrived at a cost savings of $53 million from increased class sizes, and wanted to know an estimated number of teacher jobs that would be cut, Sanderson was again brief on the subject. As he said Tuesday night, Sanderson did not want to throw out a concrete number on the cuts, because he said it would be based on attrition, although he did admit it could be up to several hundred.
Regarding teacher cuts, board members said they are getting a lot of questions from teachers regarding how and when they could be made. Board members seemed to agree that they would look at teacher performance, and not just seniority when making cuts.
Board members also talked about the likelihood of some of Sanderson's other possible cuts. Chairwoman Lynnda Crowder-Eagle said one cut that was officially off Sanderson's list was art and music. Sanderson also said it would probably not be possible for the district to go to a four-day school week, because it would have to lengthen the school days considerably, critically disrupting the bus schedules.
He did, however, say that the district is considering shortening the school year by about five days.
At the board's regularly scheduled meetings, the board members voted unanimously, with Dr. John Abraham absent, on several construction contacts, all of which came in well below the district's estimated SPLOST budget. Those projects included new roofs for Dowell and Kennesaw elementary schools, a new HVAC system at Varner Elementary School and renovations and additions to North Cobb High School.
In other business, the superintendent recommended pulling an agenda item for board approval of a Web-based management system which would link together all of the district's construction projects. Sanderson said the project came in under $200,000, which is within is expenditure range and does not need board approval.
The district also made plans to post a budget survey on its Web site that would ask for community input on the FY11 budget. The survey, created by the district and hosted by surveymonkey, would be anonymous and is meant to provide the board with insight on the public's budgetary concerns and priorities. District spokesman Jay Dillon said he hopes to have the survey up on the Web site some time next week and plans for it to remain online for about two weeks.
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Encourage Cobb County businesses to make donations to Cobb County BOE General Fund. We have three Fortune 500 Companies: Home Depot, AT&T, and Lockheed Martin. There are over 27,000 businesses in Cobb. Make a donation to the General Fund to support Cobb County Schools. This supports your work force whose children attend Cobb County Schools; it supports the community who spends their money in your business; and brings patrons to the county to be residents, patrons, and supporters. It's a Win-Win-Win!
Wrap buses with advertisements, name sports' fields, auditoriums, and schools with the names of the biggest sponsors. What great investments in our future!
Furthermore, if you think that coaches make so much more than other teachers you are seriously mistaken. If you broke down their supplemental pay it would come to about 10 cents per hour after taking into account practice time, game time, and training time. Coaches do not coach for the money, they coach so that they have a chance to mold young people into successful adults. They do it for the love of the game, and the LOVE OF THE KIDS. Athletics teaches life lessons that cannot be learned in the classroom.
It's hard to imagine a situation like the one we have before us. Our legislators have indicated that public education, the very backbone of our state and our future, is not worth funding. Our legislators and school board members are more interested in keeping their seats than biting the bullet and doing what needs to be done, which is to rewrite the QBE act, add a temporary increase to the sales tax, and raise the local millage rate.
Why might the kids have to sit through double the amount of time to get only 1/2 credit? Why, to overstaff the PE dept with coaches, naturally
If Sanderson would have done the cost projections like anyone in their right mind would do to implement something 3 yrs he wouldn't now be coming back with the possible need to recoup 5 days. That logic is very interesting to say the least!!! Perhaps it would be wise for him to have compared the difference between May & Aug. & Aug & Sept. in the average home let alone the size of some of the schools I mentioned. It is SIGNIFICANT. It's not AC, U need to do the math and this doesn't even compare to the extra wear/tear & fuel these extremely hot days put on the buses. Buses we are now going to be carrying more children with less stops many of which are highly asthmatic, diabetic, seizure prone, etc.!
The actual educator on the board, Allison Bartlet, is the one with the MOST sense who has mentioned all of these things & cares for the well being & education of our children. I have no problems with Crooks either. He is smart & an eloquent speaker. He calls fellow board & Sanderson on their actions. He was ridiculed for the cell tower things which was ludicrous. It brought us in $!! Isn't that what we need! Educators didn't have to take a pay cut or certainly not lose their jobs for it, just the opposite!! Some of U need to turn your brains on!
PE is a 1/2 credit course
Put them together it is a whole course and both are required for graduations.
This whole idea of letting people post their comments is silly when 90% of the people on this blog have no idea what they are talking about. I guess there has to be something to appeal to the lowest common denominator.