THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406020152
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE STAUNTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940603 LENGTH: Medium
The board postponed the vote nearly two weeks ago after several board members raised questions about the administration's recommendation to lay off the workers, whose duties range from assisting classroom teachers to handling clerical work.
{REST} Superintendent Richard D. Trumble said the board opted to approve the recommended budget Tuesday because other cuts would have been even more painful.
The board, he said, would have been forced to make about $650,000 in program cuts instead.
The administration urged the board to cut those jobs because Portsmouth will get about $2 million in state dollars for the next school year to hire an additional 46 elementary school teachers to reduce class size in kindergarten through third grade under the state's disparity initiative for poor school districts.
Administrators said the need for classroom paraprofessionals will be diminished because elementary teachers will have fewer students in a class.
According to the district's standing policy, the reduction in force will be based on seniority, officials said.
The district's current operating budget totals $81.9 million, with about 28 percent of the money coming from the city.
The 1994-95 budget totals $85.6 million, with much of the additional money coming from the state. Most of the additional state aid, however, can be used only for certain programs. That amount also includes $822,000 more because some of the original cuts were too deep or had to be reversed when the board decided to implement a community schools plan in September 1995 instead of this fall.
Maintenance projects were cut by $70,000 and the purchase of math textbooks was put on hold. The projected number of Portsmouth students expected to participate in a regional special education program also was scaled back.
The board was able to cut nearly $879,000 from the budget because the community schools plan, which will allow students to attend elementary schools closest to their homes, was delayed.
The board also decided to repay its debt to the Virginia Retirement System in 20 years instead of 10. The switch will lower the annual payments from $1.6 million to about $1.1 million, but the total debt will grow to $22 million because of additional interest. The first payment is due in June 1995.
The board's proposed budget called for a 12 percent increase in the city's share of money for schools to pay for expenses such as the first early retirement debt payment and a 2.25 percent employee raise recommended by the state.
Because the city didn't give the district the requested additional $3.1 million, the school administration had to cut $3.9 million from the proposed operating budget.
The city's budget for the upcoming fiscal year earmarks $25.2 million for schools - the same amount allocated last fiscal year.
{KEYWORDS} PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET
by CNB