Nelson schools' 'bare bones' budget heads to supervisors

The Nelson County School Board approved a budget of about $25 million for the next school year at its meeting last Thursday.

“We are pretty bare bones here,” said Margaret Clair, the board’s vice chair. “I don’t think there’s anything to cut. It’s a budget of need and I think we need to go with it.”

The budget was approved unanimously. Board member Amy Snapp was not present and did not vote.

Roger Collins, the division superintendent, will now meet with County Administrator Steve Carter to present the school budget.

David Parr, the chair of the board, said, “Once again, this has been a challenging budget year. However, we hope the Board of Supervisors will support our approved budget, which will allow us to fund the bare minimum essentials for the upcoming school year.”

In other business the board and administrators discussed the possibility of establishing an early college program at the high school.

It would be a dual enrollment program that would let students take enough credits through Piedmont Virginia Community College to earn an associate degree while in high school. Students would take about 15 or 16 credits each semester. The classes would also cover the required credits needed to graduate high school.

Teachers from the community college would come to the high school and teach the courses in the morning.

No specific classes have been determined yet. That depends on the teachers and the interests of the students, Collins said.

“They get their associate degrees before they get their high school degrees, so that’s pretty cool,” Clair said.

Collins stressed that this program does not replace any of the programs already offered at the school, like Advanced Placement courses.

Administrators have been working on the early college program since Parr brought it to their attention two years ago. Parr had seen it at another school division and thought it might work in Nelson.

The program would be offered to upcoming juniors who have completed Algebra II and have a certain GPA.

The next step is to have an informational session with the 48 sophomores who will have completed Algebra II by the end of the year and their families. At the meeting administrators can gauge interest in the program. The community college would like at least 15 students enrolled before the program begins, said Jo Ann Wagner, assistant superintendent for instruction.

Due to the tight budget, students will have to pay to participate.

The program could cost about $2,000 a semester including books and the approximate $130 instructional fee. Wagner said the school system is working on helping with the cost of books.

What financial assistance is available is still unclear; however federal money cannot be used for financial aid for programs below 12th grade.

The cost would still be less than going to the college for the class because the students would not have to pay an activities fee or for transportation to Charlottesville.

Collins said he would love to offer the program for free but the system can’t afford it. “Right now, we would like people that want it to help pay for it,” he said.

In other business, the board approved two field trips.

One of the field trips is for the five students who qualified for the National Track Meet in New York City in March. The field trip includes the race and seeing the armory. Collins said the details of the trip are still being worked out.

The second field trip is for the Spanish club to travel to Spain and Portugal during spring break in 2013. The trip would cover six cities over nine days. The route would start in Madrid, travel to the southern part of the country and end in Portugal.

Some of the activities on the tentative itinerary are visiting gypsy caves and taking flamenco lessons.

The trip would be open to about 30 students. It would allow the students to experience other cultures and practice the language they’re learning in class.

“It isn’t something you do every year,” said Mary Cunningham, a trustee on the school board. Cunningham’s daughter had taken the trip when it was previously offered. “It’s a wonderful opportunity.”