South Carolina Schools: How To Handle More Budget Cuts

South Carolina Education Superintendent Jim Rex is asking legislators for flexibility to cover budget cuts as they come up.  Schools have already faced seven percent cuts and have been told to prepare for an additional 8 percent to be cut next year.  So how will districts handle more cuts?  Rex says it will likely mean larger class sizes.  He is also asking legislators to be flexible with money that is allocated for specific purposes.  For example, they should not be forced to spend money on a mandate when they could use the money more in the classroom.  The School Districts have already been told how much to cut this year, but are focusing now on how to handle any more future cuts.  Overall, they have seen a reduction of $363 million in a budget that is now $2.2 billion.

We asked Upstate districts how they will handle the cuts.  Here are their email responses:

Jimmy Littlefield, Superintendent, Spartanburg District 1:  “Our first and foremost responsibility is to provide a top quality education for all students and our budget translates the educational objectives of the district into fiscal terms. In other words, what is included in our budget was important to us in May, and is still important to us today.  Through the budget process, the district administration and the board of trustees understood that there was a potential of cuts in 2008-2009 and the Board approved a budget that took this into consideration. We made preparations for some cuts and our reduced expenditures do not directly impact our students, teachers and classroom instruction.  For example, we will redouble our efforts in energy conservation, delay some maintenance projects, delay equipment and supply purchases, restrict employee travel, freeze employment of temporary and seasonal employees such as summer secretarial help and outside grounds and maintenance.  We will also be allowed to use some state categorical funding to help balance the general fund budget this year.  There were some additional funds allocated to the district from the federal No Child Left Behind Act that have been used to pay some salaries of employees.  As we prepare for the 2009-2010 school year, we will again make classroom instruction a top priority and will analyze the needs based on the number of children in our schools and the programs that best meet the needs of our children.  I know that everyone in the public school sector is concerned about the reduced funding this year and potential reduced funding next year.  Certainly we would encourage the general assembly to seek ways to generate additional revenue so that school funding could be restored to at least the level that we had anticipated for the 2008-2009 school year.“

Rhonda Henderson, Spokesperson, Spartanburg District 2:  “We were greatly concerned when the legislature passed Act 388 and began to fund school districts by relying more heavily on sales tax, which is volatile, rather than the more stable property tax. The negative result of that legislation has hit us hard, sooner than we anticipated. But, we have always budgeted very conservatively and will be depending on our fund balance to weather these stormy financial waters. Additionally, we are looking at our expenditures carefully by delaying certain maintenance projects that can wait (such as paving and roofs), striving to be more energy efficient, examining all travel requests, and not filling non-essential positions. Finally, we will be working carefully with our local legislators to craft needed changes in the way our state finances schools.”

Jim Ray, Superintendent, Spartanburg District 3:  “After the first two cuts, all area districts agreed to use our emergency funds to protect teacher positions and classroom supplies. We also agreed on the areas below for reductions. Items 1, 5 and 8 hit the classrooms. With this latest staggering cut, SSD3 will look at classroom supplies and in-district professional training as well. I have not polled the other superintendents since the 7% cut.  What has been cut so far pales to what is coming. We were advised Friday to build a budget that is 15% less that the total amount cut thus far. We have lost 1.3 million since August and other cuts are likely. In 2009-2010, S.C. will likely suffer the largest reduction in educational personnel in modern times.
1.      Hiring freezes on non-mandated staff(e.g. teacher assistants)
2.      Non-mandatory travel – especially out-of-state travel
3.      Energy usage
4.      Administrative supplies and materials
5.      Equipment, software and technology purchases
6.      Non-mandatory, secondary extracurricular expenses
7.      Athletic expenses
8.      Staff training – outside the district
9.      Non-essential maintenance projects”

Scott Turner, Superintendent, Spartanburg District 5: “District Five Schools of Spartanburg County has been able to make targeted adjustments in our budget to address the reduction in state funding.  I would like to emphasize that no positions have been eliminated.  In fact we have added teaching positions due to increased student enrollment in 3 of our elementary schools. We have curtailed travel, and professional development training in specific areas where it required travel or hiring outside consultants. We have asked for administrators to monitor expenditures to prepare for as much carry over of funds to the next fiscal year as possible.  We are asking the legislature for more flexibility with funding streams, which will allow us to focus our resources on areas we feel are of highest priority.
We will continue to focus on instruction, teacher’s needs, and on keeping class size manageable.”

Thomas White, Superintendent, Spartanburg District 7: “The Board of Trustees and district administrators have been monitoring education funding policies for years and know we face tremendous challenges.  Since the consideration and ultimate passing of ACT 388 our team has anticipated a probable shortfall in revenue.  As a result of this planning, District Seven (and other districts in Spartanburg County) will be able to minimize the impact to our classrooms for at least the remainder of this school year and likely longer if necessary.  In no way does that mean that the financial crisis we face is not serious nor does it mean that we should not work diligently to correct the problems and continue to review our spending to maximize each dollar for classroom instruction.  Other school districts in South Carolina will not be as fortunate as we in weathering this crisis.  Our response to this loss and future losses will be based on making strategic decisions guided by our priorities, not across-the-board cuts. We will not abandon our goal of improving the quality education and parental choice in District Seven.  We will continue to analyze current programs and activities.  With flexibility in use of state resources and deregulation where needed, which we hope will be granted when the General Assembly convenes in January, it will be possible to utilize many funds in more efficient and effective ways.  As we move through the budget process for 2009 – 2010, we are going to maintain our focus on tradition, excellence and innovation for academics, arts, activities and athletics as well as parental choice.  We will add to our menu of parental choice of instructional options at the elementary and secondary level.  Those will be announced in mid-February.  We will analyze our instructional support staff and teaching needs.  Small class sizes will remain a priority.  Where needed roles and responsibilities may change and positions will be added or deleted. This will be an adaptation based on need rather than a reaction to the economy.  Our capital improvement projects will remain on track.  Phase I of work at Spartanburg High School is complete.  Phase II is on target for completion and Phase III is set to begin on schedule this spring.  We will continue to work with the City of Spartanburg for renovation of Duncan Park.  Our capital improvement projects will provide the facilities needed for a world-class education in a world economy and will also continue to improve value of properties of those who live in District Seven and beyond.”

Dan Powell, Superintendent, Greenwood 52:  “We will look at programs and positions and may not be filling positions that are vacated by either resignations or retirement.  Class sizes will probably be larger.”

Bill James, Superintendent, Cherokee County:  “We have been cut $3.2 million so far.  We are not sure how much is yet to come.  Currently we have decided not to hire for any positions that become vacant, suspend travel and stop spending for anything that does not impact the classroom.  Our primary fiscal objective is to keep all of our employees working.  We have 90% of our employees living in Cherokee County and anything we do not only impacts the school system, but the economy of the county.  I have met with the directors and principals for their ideas for areas where we can save and we will have a more complete plan soon…. I have also met with members of our delegation regarding flexibility for funds and for the 4 day week.  As I told you earlier, I have done a great deal of research on the subject and have reported to our Board.  We project that the savings could be about $1 million. “

Edgar Taylor, Superintendent, Laurens School District 55: “Since our budget is 87% in salaries, most of our cuts will have to be in personnel.  I hope that we will be able to handle it with attrition, but we are gearing up for RIF if it becomes necessary.  It is an unpleasant subject.  The quality of education will go down state wide.”

Wayne Brazell, Superintendent, Laurens School District 56:  “The extra 8% will be almost exclusively in personnel.  We eliminating some programs and eliminating two administrative positions.  We’ve also frozen all salaries for next year.”

Hugh Smith, Superintendent, Anderson District 3:  “First, we would try to absorb as much as we can stand from our fund balance in order to keep from impacting classroom instruction.  We would also look at not hiring replacements for positions as people leave.  Then we would look at cutting programs and personnel with classroom teachers eventually subject to being cut.”

Kay Powell, Spokesperson, Oconee County School District:  Re:  Dr. Lucas’ blog for the cuts we have already experienced and how they have been addressed.  Per Dr. Lucas, we will continue to monitor the situation trying to predict what our funding will be.  Next week our school board will be presented our best conservative estimate at what cuts we will be facing in 2009-2010.  Over the next three months at the work sessions, each department will make their presentations for spending for the upcoming school year.