This just proves what a sad state of affairs the RCBOE is in! Residents of Richmond County should DEMAND more accountability for the tax money they are spending on education.
Richmond County school board members said Tuesday that if budget cuts must be made, they'd rather see them in the central office instead of your child's classroom.
Board members were trying to trim almost $19 million from next year's spending, but many worried that the classrooms would suffer.
"We're living a lie if we don't do what we can for the children," board member Marion Barnes said during an afternoon budget meeting.
He went line-by-line down nearly $7.9 million in personnel cuts, questioning the effect they might have on instruction and student achievement.
It was the first time board members had met since receiving the budget proposal, one drafted with the assumption that there will be no growth in the tax digest. The budget, as proposed, calls for raising taxes and cutting 132 positions.
Among the cuts are 58 teachers, 57.5 first-grade paraprofessionals, the coordinator of social studies and foreign language, the drug and safe schools coordinator, five elementary school counselors, two central office clerical positions and the dropout prevention specialist. Eight public safety officer positions would be frozen.
Dr. Missoura Ashe, the assistant superintendent for administrative services, said some teachers won't be needed if the state approves waivers for larger class sizes. Other positions aren't necessary because of the loss of pupils.
In the past year, the county has lost 600 pupils, which interim Superintendent James Thompson said is equivalent to losing a school.
Fewer pupils means less state funding.
The state also reduced other funding and passed along part of a 3 percent pay raise for teachers and bus drivers to local systems.
Finance Committee Chairman Frank Dolan called for a list of all central office employees, their job descriptions and salaries.
His concerns were shared by board member Venus Cain, who questioned whether "fat" can be trimmed from the administration.
But there must be cuts, and personnel cuts can't be avoided because they make up most of the budget, board member Jack Padgett said.
Even with the proposed cuts, the budget calls for raising taxes. The tax increase would mean that the owner of a $100,000 house would pay an additional $30.45 in taxes.
Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Richmond County Board of Education will continue budget talks at 4 p.m. Thursday at the board's central offices, 864 Broad St. It has until June 30 to adopt a budget.
Comments
This just proves what a sad state of affairs the RCBOE is in! Residents of Richmond County should DEMAND more accountability for the tax money they are spending on education.
Cuts at the central office should be made long before cuts that directly affect the child's classroom and classroom supervision. But of course those sill board members don't have a clue...cut classroom aides how really awful.
You don't want to touch the classrooms??? Cutting parapros, freezing public safety officers, and increasing classroom size greatly affects the classroom. These waivers allow up to 32 students in a 5th grade classroom.
Yeah, that makes sense; make crowded classrooms even more crowded...but don't dare touch the Broad Street bureaucracy (or Charles Larke's lofty salary+).
What's the deal? Where's the focus? "Lofty salary" is right. No wonder our children suffer so. Money is what is important to most. Would it be so horrible to not have the luxury life to improve the schools, give teachers the budget needed to purchase learning materials for the classroom, and keep the safety officials patrolling our schools to ensure the safety of our future? I'd be happy making peanuts for pay knowing that my children were safe and in an environment conducive for learning. But that's just me...
Larke is gone, so why is his name coming up.?
Yeah, you cut teachers and you're going to have another teacher cut -as in all the teachers who will leave because they have overstocked classrooms. I say they should cut at the central office too and stick Dr. Ashe in an overcrowded classroom. They need not look any farther than Columbia County to find out where the 600 pupils went, no one wants their child in a school system that has to take away from the students in order to meet a budget. By the way, any ordinary Joe can look up what every employee in Richmond Co. makes simply by going to the Georgia Audits website. Take a look at some of the salaries at the board office and you'll see Richmond Co. only needs to make a few cuts there in order to meet the budget.
Most of the consultants at central office have administrative duties, work with several schools and are only paid teacher salary plus one or two months (depending if they are 11 month or 12 month employees) plus a supplement of less than $2000 per year. When looking at the Geogia Audits website please note that education and years of experience also factor into salaries. Try walking a day in a the shoes of a teacher, an administrator or some of the personnel at central office and you may change your tune because you will see how hard most jobs are and why moral is so low in some departments at central office. Teaching is one of the few professions where the employee has to keep spending their own money in order to make money and are still underpaid.
Larke's name came up as a friendly little reminder of how the Board manages money. What, since he's gone no one can comment on him?
where on the georgia audits website do you go to view employee's salaries?
Actually, I have been a teacher for a few years and I have spent my own money many times to help educate our students, I've broken up fights, spent late nights preparing, grading, helping with athletics and other activities, a student stole my car one time. I know the pains of an educator and I have interacted with those at the board office and I still say that I am unimpressed with their efforts to make Richmond Co. a better system and I still maintain the belief that they are undermining the problem simply by cutting teachers and para-pros.
https://www.audits.state.ga.us/internet/ead/eadrpts/LEAs/salary_travel/e...
This is from 2003 which is all that I could find.
I am a teacher too and not at all impressed by the Board.
Benedict. Get a life and quit worrying about Dr. Larke!!!
I agree that the Central Office is the first (and probably last) place to look for budget cuts. The "Quality Team" is the one that spent the millions on the Voyager reading program and the unjustified travel. The school board needs to examine closely all the coordinator-type positions and the staffs that accompany them. (They might also examine the qualifications that some of them have.)
Crackertroy is a teacher, ah no wonder education sucks. A teacher with a screen name cracker troy. SICK!
Put the EIP teachers back into the classroom to help with class size.
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