$4.5M void remains in proposed Frederick County school budget

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- The Board of Supervisors took an early step Wednesday to help Frederick County Public Schools close a $4.5 million revenue shortfall projected for fiscal 2013.

But the final funding gap remains unknown as the Virginia General Assembly picks apart Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposed biennial budget for fiscal 2013 and 2014.

Supervisors and the School Board met for a joint session during which Superintendent David T. Sovine presented his proposed fiscal 2013 budget. Sovine's proposal calls for an operating budget of $128.1 million. This includes no funding for salary or pay scale increases, Sovine said.

Specifically, while the school system expected an increase in revenue of $900,000 as McDonnell has proposed, it also would see expenses rise by $5.4 million, through a loss of federal stimulus funding and higher required payments into the Virginia Retirement System.

County Administrator John R. Riley Jr. and supervisors lauded Sovine and school staff's efforts to craft a proposed budget.

"I think they anticipated this probably long before they really got into the budget season, knowing loss of stimulus money and the increase they were going to experience in VRS, and to come up with a solution to close the gap, I think is commendable in trying to make this budget work in this economy," Riley said.

The county expects to see an additional $1.3 million in revenue the next fiscal year. Supervisors came to a unanimous consensus and endorsed Sovine's request that the county allocate 57 percent of the revenue, or $760,794, to the school system. This money allows the system to not eliminate nine positions as needed to save $600,000.

The school system can expect to save $2.6 million through a voluntary severance program implemented in December. Of the eligible employees, 70 chose to participate, Sovine said. The system saves an additional $200,000 through eliminating vacancies.

Supervisors voted unanimously in support of the school system paying off the $1.3 million for severance benefits in one year rather than spend more by spreading the payments over two or three years. It would cost the school system $2.3 million to replace 41 of the 70 employees who took the severance, but that amount comes at a lower price because new workers likely would receive less pay. The system would eliminate the remaining 29 positions and save $2.6 million.

Sovine proposed saving an additional $1.1 million by not spending the money to replace aging buses and other technology.

Red Bud District Supervisor Chris Collins said they need to thank teachers and school staff for "grinning and bearing it."

"I've spoken to a lot of them and I know a lot of them are upset, but a lot of them also understand the situation and it's not improving as quickly as it should, and we really need to emphasize that we recognize the hardship they're going through and their willingness to continue to work and do a hard job, and do a great job that we expect from them," Collins said.