Nelson County School Board cuts budget deficit projection

At a budget work session last week, the Nelson County School Board cut its projected budget deficit for the 2010-11 school year by more than $150,000, reducing the funding shortfall from more than $1 million to $902,000.

The total projected budget expenditures for the 2010-2011 school year are $23.2 million, which is $360,000 less than the 2009-10 school year. But the projected revenues are $22.1 million, or $1.4 million less than last year with reductions in state and federal dollars.

Nelson County Public Schools Superintendent Roger Collins said the potential negative impact to the schools by this budget deficit “keeps me awake at night.”

“If the school board is required to reduce our budget by an additional $900,000, it will be extremely difficult to avoid further personnel adjustments or cuts, individual school program changes or the elimination of certain services to students,” Collins said. “The potential negative impact on students, staff and our community will be far-reaching and could possibly set the school division back 15 to 20 years.”

School board members reduced expenditures at their Jan. 28 meeting by cutting funding for employee recruitment, reduced funding to special education-related services and made several school employee adjustments.

School Board vice chairman David Parr asked if the schools would be receiving additional funding from the county to make up the budget shortfall.

“That’s the million dollar question,” Collins said. “Are we going to get additional funding from the county? I just don’t know.”

The projected funding contribution from the county to the schools is $11.7 million for the 2010-11 school year. The projected state and federal funding contribution to the schools is $10.4 million for next year.

The Nelson County School Board is scheduled to meet again

Feb. 11.