Montgomery schools’ $6.2 million deficit
Montgomery County schools recently received some good news. At least, it was good news in the sense that a looming fiscal catastrophe will be slightly less catastrophic.
Last month, the school board adopted a preliminary budget for county residents to discuss. After a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the county government building in Christiansburg, the school board will make any adjustments and then forward a budget request to the board of supervisors.
What makes the preliminary budget notable this year is just how bleak it is. It includes a $6.2 million shortfall that must be closed with new revenue, which is not likely forthcoming, or cuts.
When the school board first looked at the numbers, members thought the deficit would be $7.1 million. However, part of the shortfall was due to anticipated increases to health insurance costs. A few days after the school board announced its preliminary budget, the county learned premiums would not go up as much as feared. That, along with some funds from Richmond for elementary schools and a couple of other adjustments, reduced the potential budget deficit to the projected $6.2 million.
Thank Gov. Bob McDonnell for this mess. The governor’s proposed budget shortchanges schools by capping the state’s share of some expenses while mandating greater local contributions to the Virginia Retirement System for teachers. Montgomery County is being hammered especially hard — to the tune of $1.9 million — by changes to the Local Composite Index.
Add in a local increase to textbook spending for matching funds, and McDonnell can take credit for $5.2 million of Montgomery County’s headache.
The remaining million is a miscellany of increased energy costs, some technology, a few new buses and building repairs.
To put the shortfall in perspective, $6.2 million could buy 71 new school buses. It is almost the entire supplies and equipment budget — goodbye paper towels, cleaning products and gas for buses. It is 106 full-time staff and teaching positions.
It is almost 7 percent of a $94.4 million budget that still is less than the schools had a few years ago.
Schools spokeswoman Brenda Drake Bowdel is quick to point out that eliminating jobs is the last thing the school board wants to do. The schools already will lose 16 jobs next year through attrition as federal stimulus dollars dry up.
“We don’t know yet what the exact budget shortfall is going to be,” Drake Bowdel said. “When we put out the comparison numbers, we want people to understand how it may affect the district. We are positive that we would look at other places for the cuts before looking at staffing reductions.”
Yet it is hard to think what that might be. Assistant Superintendent Walt Shannon notes that nearly 90 percent of the budget is personnel costs. In recent years, spending for textbooks, equipment, field trips and more were slashed, leaving a lean budget.
If school board members dare ask supervisors for more money, they almost certainly will be disappointed. As it is, the county is looking at a 10-cent increase to the real estate tax rate to pay off debt incurred for building high schools in Blacksburg and Riner. An additional $6.2million would require 9 cents more. A 19-cent increase, before supervisors even deal with funding shortfalls for other county services, is not going to happen.
School officials know this and pin their hopes on lawmakers. School systems across the commonwealth suffer under McDonnell’s budget scheme.
“Our true hope is that the Virginia legislature is going to get some pressure to improve some things,” Drake Bowdel said.
Residents can help by contacting their lawmakers. If there was any benefit to the General Assembly’s ludicrous redistricting maps, it is that two senators and three delegates represent parts of Montgomery County, though only two of those five actually live around these parts.
If the school board must cut $6.2 million, there will be profound consequences. Students’ education will suffer this year and beyond as they slip behind their peers in communities that better support their schools. Companies thinking about locating here and creating jobs will notice that.
This time, Sierra Nevada chose Asheville, N.C., over Christiansburg because the brewer needed a location better suited to hosting a restaurant and bar. Next time, a company might not even give the New River Valley a second look after it sees the state of the schools.
The Roanoke Times | 981-1645
Trejbal is a member of The Roanoke Times editorial board.
He is based in the New River Valley.
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Sierra Nevada needed something that Christiansburg doesn’t have: a clean, prolific water supply. Unless the brewery wanted ‘powder plant’ water, what choice was there?
Many are surprised that the NRV was on the list; it may have just been a PR stunt by well-wishers. I don’t think the NRV was ever seriously
considered.
As for the state of schools, there’s been decades of poor maintenace and a record of accepting new-construction facilities with flaws, for a token settlement. Folks that have lived in this area for a while know what has really happened, and the current situation was predictable.
Comment by Know Nothing — February 5, 2012 @ 10:11 pm
Actually you should thank the previous two democratic governors for allowing these unfunded problems to fester rather trying to fidure out a way to deal with the fact that there was simply not enough money to pay for everything. Kaine and Warner underfunded the VRS system to the point of a crisis. Now McDonnell is trying to correct this, but he gets the blame for the pinch. Funny how when it is a democrat in charge “things are tough and we’ll all have to tighten our belts”, but when a republican is in charge, the tough economic times are due to budget “schemes.”
Comment by Chuck — February 6, 2012 @ 10:44 am
The County Board of Supervisors do not tell the schools how to spend the koney they get. The greatest portion of the County budget is the school system. The School Board needs to review very carefully and make better choices on the budget. Good teachers should be paid well. Poor and underperforming teachers should be canned. All that central office staff should be reviewed and only necessary positions kept. The teachers and parents create a quality education. Outrageous school plans and multimillion dollar buildings aren’t going to educate anyone. The School Board needs to held accountable for using the money they have. It does not matter what political party McDonnell is a part of. His budget has cut the funding for the public schools. It does not matter how you want to look at it.
Comment by Beth — February 8, 2012 @ 10:00 am
Corrections to my previous post. Apologies!
koney=money. The school board needs to be held accountable.
Comment by Beth — February 8, 2012 @ 10:20 am
I so agree with the one who said the schools have had poor maintaince and have accepting flawed new construction. From an inside source I know of some of the poor decisions like the over the top schools in Shawsville and that
the Blacksburg high school was known to have been built incorrectly. My children go to Christiansburg primary and elementary, schools that don’t seem to have updated since I went there thirty years ago. Where is all this money going? Certainly not into my children’s schools.
Comment by Angel — February 8, 2012 @ 9:58 pm
Once again there are those who choose to complain about the “over the top schools” being built,yet look at what certain residents in Blacksburg want… The best of the best, the “Taj-Mahal” of schools because as one of town council’s members said, “We are Blacksburg, we deserve only the best.” I have a Blacksburg address, and my children went to BHS and guess what. They survived going to a school that passed inspection and was occupied for 45+ years. I am saddened for the residents of Montgomery Coounty. I see a tax increase coming that is going to cause hundreds of foreclosures, people having to sell and move out of the county, or worse scenarios. I hope the Board of Supervisors sees this as well and will not approve such a heinously large increase in our property taxes. Please go to the BOS mtg and speak up against this tax increase.
Comment by Charley — February 13, 2012 @ 9:37 am
Check the County website for meeting information and attend. http://www.montgomerycountyva.gov/
Some of the behavior last night was embarrassing and not even on topic. Rants and complaints. The construction/remodel of that Govt Center building C are what I find ridiculous. It was outfitted for the courts which never ever moved into that building. Then it was all ripped out and is now being made for the school administration offices. Who is paying for all of that? That total has to be more than the cost of iPads! The County is on it’s 3rd County Administrator since we moved to MC. The Board needs to look at the top management they inherited after the elections. 3rd County Administrator, same Assistant County Administrator. The School Board needs to do the same thing. 3rd Superintendent but same other top management. The schools knew they were moving in and are now asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars for new furniture. You didn’t know before now that you were moving in? That sign announcing your location has been out there for years!
Comment by B. Martin — February 14, 2012 @ 6:31 pm
I see so much waste going on inside the buildings. Students notes are copied for them. Who is paying for all the paper being used…not to mention the trees cut down. My children took their own notes, I think it helps the learning process and actively involves the brain. Students are not responible enough to take their report cards or any notices, paperwork home. So, everything is mailed. Again, who pays for the postage? And, snow days….when schools are closed for inclimate weather has anyone checked the cost of heating a building for a very small number of people still coming in, oppose to the cost of a day’s salary for those people. Isn’t the work mostly generated by students, teachers? I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg…who knows what else is going on…..The taxpayers are not the only ones that need to “tighten their belts.” We are all in this together and one group shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden.
Comment by Sheri — February 17, 2012 @ 8:18 am
Sheri,
Paper will be used if the students copy their own notes. If you want to save paper then each student should be issued laptops, but I would guess my your comments you would also be against that as well. I only receive report cards in the mail at the end of the year, once the students are out for the summer. Would have each parent drive to school at this time to pick up the reports? There very well may be waste that needs to be done away with but we need to educate ourselves before making iceberg statements.
Comment by Mutt — February 22, 2012 @ 6:07 am