DATE: Tuesday, November 25, 1997            TAG: 9711250593

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   54 lines

OFFICIALS SEEK WAYS TO CUT $1.7 MILLION FROM SCHOOLS BUDGET

Some classrooms might get more students but no additional teachers. And purchasing updated textbooks might have to wait until the next school year.

These are just a few cuts that the Norfolk School District may use to trim $1.7 million from its current $209.7 million budget. City officials have asked the school system, which receives a bulk of its funding from the city, to tighten its belt in anticipation of a revenue shortfall.

Because of a slump in local taxes, all city departments have been asked to scale back their spending plans this year.

The school system also is looking for another $1.5 million to cover a shortfall in state revenue. That amount grew from an $800,000 estimate made earlier this month.

Not pleased, School Board members plan to discuss the cutbacks with the City Council during a special meeting today.

The board is concerned about the district trying to stay aligned with the state's new Standards of Learning without benefit of the new books.

``We're going to be doing substandard education, not standard education,'' said School Board Vice Chairman Conrad Greif.

The school system has been asked to make similar trims during the past six years, but school officials were able to use surplus state or federal funds to fill the gaps. Not this year.

An expected decrease in student enrollment, in addition to other state budget cuts, accounts for the state's shortfall. The money received from the state is in proportion to the number of students a district has.

District officials said they have taken some steps to address the problem, such as a hiring freeze for some positions, and suspending some purchases. Here are some of the areas that may be trimmed:

Staffing. Teachers are typically added as new students transfer into schools and increase class sizes. Those positions might be held open. Savings: $324,000.

Instructional material. Buying some sixth-grade textbooks will be delayed until next year. The current books do not reflect the political and social changes of the current decade. Savings: $425,000.

Equipment purchases. Fewer new computers for student and administrative use. There will be delays in replacing items that are no longer functional or obsolete. Savings: $815,000.

The district's chief finance officer, Fred Schmitt, said many of the cuts could be reinstituted if the city comes through with the money.

``This isn't an all-or-nothing situation,'' Schmitt said. ``We can replace these items pretty easily.''

Shirley George, president of the Education Association of Norfolk, said she was floored when she heard the list.

``There are so many new (textbook) series out there. They're saying, `We have the standards in place but you're not going to have all that you need to do this,' '' George said. ``When they are tested and don't do well, it won't be the people who cut but the people in the classroom who will be blamed.''

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