State funding may alter numbers; schools budget to go to Supervisors

The Nelson County School Board approved a proposed budget at its March 11 meeting to send to the Nelson County Board of Supervisors, days before the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate finalized their version of a state budget for the next two years.

The final numbers are subject to change once the amount of money the state government will provide is known, but the proposed budget for the Nelson County Public Schools 2010-11 school year includes $22.578 million in spending and $21.671 million in projected revenues.

Without increased funding from the supervisors, the proposed budget would have a deficit of more than $900,000.

“I am more than ready for the final numbers from the state as a lot is riding on the legislator’s decision,” said Nelson County Public Schools Superintendent Roger Collins. “Less of a cut is always better and how deep the cut will actually end up being to us in Nelson is the real question.”

During a closed session at the March 11 meeting, the Nelson County School Board discussed three options of further budget cuts that could be taken once the final funding numbers are known.

Collins said the three levels of possible reductions included cuts that would have an indirect impact on students outside of the regular school day, cuts that would have a direct impact on students during the regular school day and a worst-case scenario.

“The discussion of these three areas did not change the budget of need that was formally approved by the school board,” he said. “However, if we do not get the funds we are requesting, then the administration and school board must balance next year’s budget in some way.”

“Because our operational budget is lean, I think any reduction or cut from the state or locality (in funding) will have a direct or indirect impact on employees or students.”

The proposed 2010-11 budget is more than $1 million less than the 2009-10 school budget in expenditures, which was $23.6 million. The amount of money received by the schools from state and federal funding is almost $2 million less for the 2010-11 school year than received for the 2009-10 school year.

“Each year I do this, it seems like it gets harder and harder,” said Shannon Irvin, the assistant superintendent for administration for Nelson County Public Schools.

The biggest changes to the state budget regarding public school funding included $253 million in cuts to public schools funding, extending the life of school buses from 12 years to 15 years, allowing localities to increase class sizes by one student, eliminating $35 million in funding for staff travel, lease and rental fees and facility costs and reducing the amount of funding for public broadcasting, the arts and libraries by 15 percent.

Irvin said that once the final budget numbers are received from the state, she would incorporate those into the budget that will be sent to the supervisors.

The Nelson County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to meet for a budget work session this week at the Nelson County Courthouse in Lovingston.