THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505180292
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
School Board members Tuesday did what they had vowed to do only if forced by City Council: They gave Superintendent Sidney L. Faucette approval to cut the school system's budget for next year.
The council last week approved a $358 million education budget for 1995-96, a substantial increase over this year's budget but $3.8 million less than the School Board had requested.
Also, for the first time in two years, the council gave the school system money in categories instead of a lump sum because of questions about money management by Faucette and the School Board.
Faucette is to tell the council soon how much the school system needs in each of the four categories: instruction; administration, attendance and health; student transportation; and operations and maintenance.
Faucette will cut some new positions, delay buying buses to replace obsolete ones and ask each of his top administrators to shave non-salary items in their budgets by a little less than 1 percent.
The board approved the plan 10-1, with Ulysses Van Spiva dissenting. Spiva said he objected to the part that called for cutting some new staff, particularly custodians. Spiva said he believed custodians already were overworked.
``Somehow I feel like this could have been done without putting this all on their backs,'' Spiva said.
Faucette, who will leave his post in July to become schools superintendent in Gwinnett County, Ga., said he was insulted by Spiva's repeated allegations that custodians are mistreated.
``I just want to say that I think it's wrong for anyone to say publicly that we have done something on the backs of custodians, when we have increased the number of custodians,'' Faucette said.
``I just want it well known that we have not (increased custodians), and I can prove it,'' Spiva said.
School Board Chairwoman June T. Kernutt had to stop the exchange.
``Let's move on,'' she said.
The board unanimously approved nearly $12.1 million in money transfers to balance this year's budget.
The 16 pages of transfers shift funds from line items with surplus money to those that are in the red.
School Board member Robert W. Hall said the transfers were long overdue.
``I've been asking for this for about six months,'' he said.
Faucette had postponed asking the board to approve the transfers or explaining how he was going to balance this year's budget. The school system has faced huge shortfalls this year, which Faucette most recently estimated at about $12.4 million.
Board members have said they were concerned about excess spending in many categories.
``I'm not at all happy with the way this budget year has gone,'' Hall said. ``I think there has been wanton disregard for the budget. To me, it's deplorable that so many line items have been over-expended.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff file photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Superintendent Sidney L. Faucette, who will leave his post in July
to take the same post in Gwinnett County, Ga., is to tell the City
Council soon how much the school system needs in each of the four
categories: instruction; administration, attendance and health;
student transportation; and operations and maintenance.
by CNB