Teachers, advocates will rally today

AIKEN - South Carolina teachers and education advocates will rally in the state capital today to protest deep budget cuts to public schools, but local politicians and school administrators don't expect much relief.

"There's still hope, but I have to prepare for what I know, and what I know is that we're facing deep cuts," Linda Eldridge, the superintendent of Aiken County public schools, said Tuesday.

With the Senate Finance Committee working on the state's $5.1 billion budget, those attending the rally will be asking state legislators to restore $323 million in public education cuts proposed by the House version of the budget bill. These proposed cuts are what state education officials say could mean pink slips for more than 6,600 teachers across the state's 86 public school districts.

That number is based on the assumption that all of the state's school budget cuts will be offset by districts deciding to slash teaching positions, said Jim Foster, spokesman for Inez Tenenbaum, South Carolina's superintendent of education.

In reality, many school districts are looking at a mix of higher taxes, bigger classroom sizes, program cuts and a decision not to hire replacements for teachers lost through retirement or resignation. That's the mix Aiken County's school board is looking at to make up for a $12.2 million loss in state revenue.

Dr. Eldridge will present a plan to board members' meeting Tuesday that includes a property tax increase that could be as high as 10 mills, a two-student increase in every classroom and hiring fewer replacements to take the place of teachers who retire or quit.

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Mr. Foster is quick to point out that many South Carolina school districts aren't in as good a financial shape as Aiken County. For example, one of the school districts in Lexington County is looking at eliminating teaching positions and raising taxes to cover a $7.4 million cut in state money.

Mr. Foster said a quick survey of all of South Carolina's districts is only at the halfway point, but has tallied a projected cut of more than 1,200 teaching positions. He also said that the House budget bill sets the lowest level of money spent to educate each student since 1995 - $1,643 a student.

Although Aiken County renewed the contracts of all of its teachers this week, it will hire only 60 new teachers to fill the 150 vacancies that usually occur at the end of the school year, said Dr. Eldridge.

State Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, said it's unlikely the state will scrape up any more money for education unless legislators and Gov. Mark Sanford agree on a tax increase.

"There's no money left in the budget," Mr. Ryberg said. "I don't think there's any wiggle room. It's just a most unpleasant time unless we can come up with new revenue streams."

Proposed state budget cuts to county school districts in South Carolina:

AIKEN COUNTY: $12.2 million

BARNWELL COUNTY: $2.8 million

EDGEFIELD COUNTY: $2.2 million

Source:South Carolina Department of Education

Reach Jim Nesbitt at (803) 648-1394 BY THE NUMBERS

--From the Wednesday, April 16, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle