Bruce Borchers
Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers presented three budget proposals for fiscal year 2015 to the school board on Wednesday. The proposals suggest that deep cuts will need to be made to attract new students, families, and staff to the district, and to keep those already here. Borchers introduced the proposals by stating that the district will be “tightening our belt.â€
Students, families, and staff were the main theme of the budgets proposed on Wednesday. In fact, each was presented to show a different budget scenario that would lose, retain, or attract the group. The school board will review two budgets intended to retain and attract those groups, as well as a third expected to result in a loss of students, family, and staff. All of the budgets proposed generate revenue through expenditure cuts.
All three budget proposals suggest property tax rate increases to offset the cuts, with the rate hikes ranging from 14 to 57 cents.
With about $1.2 million in cost savings, the first proposal has the lowest budget target, and it was referred to as the “losing students-families-staff†budget. It proposed the fewest system-wide cuts, but still suggested that reductions are needed. Those expenditure cuts include increasing class sizes and reducing teaching positions and transportation services. Transportation reductions would increase the student “walk zone” to one mile and end preschool transportation altogether. This proposal would not be able to fund the district’s 1:1 device integration program.
The second budget, said to “retain students-families-staff,†is targeted to bring $3.7 million in revenue through cost savings. This budget would still make cuts to staff and transportation, but would allow the planned 1:1 device integration to begin, which would be cut from the “losing†budget. This budget allows a 2 percent wage raise system-wide, but still calls for staff reductions, including reducing the assistant principal position at Oak Ridge High School as well as extra-curricular stipends and staff development reductions.
The various reductions of that plan will allow an additional custodian “to maintain attractive buildings†and permit the hiring of technology personnel required to maintain the district’s digital transformation.
Lastly, the budget to “attract students-families-staff†brings $5.1 million in revenue from cuts. This budget requires the most reductions, but aims to bring the most benefits to the schools. In addition to the benefits of adopting the budget aimed to “retain,†the “attract†budget would allow more special education teachers, math, and reading specialists and an “elementary behavior class.â€
However, the price tag to “attract†is very high and, even after reducing schools and departments to the minimum required through state standards, the reductions would bring only $4.6 million in revenue. This means that the district would need an extra investment of about $500,000.
Tax revenue was suggested to offset budget cuts, but the city is hoping to avoid tax increases in the coming fiscal year.
“The community as a whole has some difficult choices to make,†Borchers said. “As superintendent, I presented a budget that contains the necessary things needed for our students to be successful now and in the future. I also believe that investing in our schools will help us attract new families into our great community.
“Without increase in revenue, the ORS will face drastic budget cuts, which will impact the future of the schools and our ability to attract new families to our community.â€
Board Chairman Keys Fillauer says that he doesn’t see any other way to fund the budget, no matter which proposal is chosen in the end, but he doesn’t like having to make cuts, either.
“We can make cuts and fund some things that we want,†he said. “But when we do make the cuts we’re losing what we have.â€
He said that this year’s cuts are probably a little higher than previous years, but he believes that it’s necessary for the district to make the changes required to offer exemplary education to students. He hopes that the community will continue to be supportive of the education system.
“I really think it’s time that we work together as a council and a community to determine what we want our educational system to be and (the proposal) gives us the opportunity to do that,†Fillauer said. He said he appreciates the way the superintendent has put together different scenarios instead of the typical one-scenario budget typically proposed, as it gives the council the opportunity to “really understand†what the system needs.
Borchers recommended adopting, at a minimum, the proposal to “retain students-families-staff.†The board seemed to agree that the district should make some serious adjustments in order to continue leading the state in academic achievement, but several meetings are scheduled in the coming weeks to allow the board to work on the budget before presenting it to the Oak Ridge City Council on June 2.
The next special school board meeting on the budget is scheduled for May 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the School Administration Building on New York Avenue. The full proposal presentation can be found here.
The next fiscal year starts July 1.
Sara Wise is a freelance contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
Linda Wells Mabry says
Other than trimming one of the Vice principal spots at ORHS, what else can be trimmed from an administrative viewpoint? The school system appears to be like most businesses, top heavy in administration. Is there really a need to have more than 1 vice principal at the high school?
Will Ex-RMS principal Hundermark keep his $90,000.00 + desk job this year?
Why bring someone new into a position of Vice Principal at RMS. Hasn’t there been enough money spent on the changing of the guard there?
Mike Mahathy says
The article is good but leaves out a keypoint in that a tax increase could offset some or all of the cuts.
Let’s remember the proposal was just that. The School Board will approve the budget request which City Council acts on.
To answer Linda possible cuts as contained in the proposal include loss of some teacher positions, all non-special ed TAs, increase class sizes to state maximums, no afternoon bus service at preschool and loss of fourth grade strings program.
The budget presentation is here:
http://myorschoolsblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/budget-proposal/
johnhuotari says
Thanks, Mike. I double-checked the story, and Sara did say in the middle of the story (ninth paragraph) that “tax revenue was suggested to offset budget cuts…”
I updated the third paragraph, which I added, to make that same point.
Rob Woodward says
This article is very confusing. It talks about making “deep cuts and “tightening the belt”, but yet suggests we will need tax hikes. Why would one have to raise taxes to pay for spending cuts? Can anyone help me understand?
Walter K. Hyatt says
Just curious, while I support making our schools the best they can be, I wonder if they have approached DOE and other “sources” to seek supplemental donations/funding, other than just property tax increases? I still have not heard whether its true or not that Los Alamos gets $8 million a year for their schools from DOE and other “nuclear” cities get more assistance from DOE too. True or false? I don’t know. I would like to see alternate sources of funding pursued first before increasing property taxes. People won’t move here because of property tax “sticker shock” even though they really are not coming out any better in Knox County when they add every cost up.
johnhuotari says
Walter,
I have also heard for years that Los Alamos gets more support, but I haven’t confirmed that. I will try to do so.
Tom Row says
Los Alomos gets money because the Los Alamos city fire department also serves as the fire department for the DOE Los Alamos site.
johnhuotari says
Thank you, Tom.
Cindy McCullough says
Going to try again. (Been having issues with my comments seeming to disappear.) I looked over all the packet documents and find them rather vague. I mean, they tell us about cuts, but not really where the money is going. I get that the majority goes to salaries, but do they publish a line item budget, not listing each and every teacher, but breaking down some of the spending? Not even sure what the money goes to in the three separate budgets. I find it confusing that the attract budget has more cuts, but I assume it is to spend more elsewhere, but not sure where.
johnhuotari says
Cindy, we plan to continue to cover this story and hope to provide more information that should help answer some of your questions. As far as I know, a line-item budget hasn’t been made available yet.
The school board is scheduled to do a line-item review of the budget at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. (Prior to that, there’s a budget development discussion scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.)
If I recall correctly, the school budget is generally made available online at some point, and it will possibly also be available at the library and at the school administration building.
Jeanne Hicks Powers says
I just had time to go through this budget “presentation” again to review. I don’t know where to begin! Hopefully the budget will be reworked to address the top heavy administration costs and to stop with all this “fluff” in the presentation itself. Since I’ve lived here the poverty level has risen from 29% to almost 56%. We can’t blame ALL of that on Obama! Sometimes we need to adjust to reality instead of proposing a champagne budget when the funds are not there… nor to be found! OR needs to attract business and reasons for young families to move here, raise their kids, and then have those kids WANT to do the same. It’s not the educational system alone that can do it. The educational system can’t be the ONLY reason for people to move here. The focus needs to be on reviving OR in general not increasing taxes to fund the schools. The schools are funded just fine and need to work within their/the community’s means! Increasing taxes will only serve to keep more families FROM moving here.