After the Alamance-Burlington School System delivered its proposed budget to County Manager Heidi York on Tuesday, May 21, Board of Education Chair Sandy Ellington-Graves weighed in on the school board’s proposal, which features more than $7.5 million in budget cuts.
“It is unfortunate that any of our employees are impacted by a budget deficit beyond their control,” Ellington-Graves told the Times-News. “Determining which position could be reduced is an extremely challenging task when each of these positions bring value in some way to ABSS students.”
Nearly $2 million of the additional $10.34 million requested by ABSS would go to employee compensation. Of that, $1.4 million is mandated by the General Assembly.
The school system has requested $6.8 million in additional funding for operations and technology services.
About $1.57 million of the added spending is legislatively mandated to go to local charter schools because of their enrollment growth.
Decisions to cut staff positions and instructional programs are never easy, Ellington-Graves said.
“It is also important to remember that these positions are actually people who have been committed to ABSS — many for 10 [plus] years — and are now facing uncertainty about their employment,” she said. “These are decisions that, though necessary, weigh heavily on the board of education. … Balancing this budget is so much more than a simple math equation.”
Ellington-Graves said board of education members hope that ABSS employees affected by budget cuts can be reassigned to vacant positions within the school district.
Jenny Faulkner, interim public information officer for ABSS, said that some school system employees are facing a reduction in months of employment to more closely align with state budget allotments, which means school counselors could be facing being paid 10 months a year instead of 12.
Realignment of media specialists in secondary schools will mean a reduction of seven positions in the school system, and beginning next year, some schools may share physical education, art, and music teachers based on the state allotment, Faulkner said.
Ellington-Graves went on to say the school system could be facing a budget shortfall next year to the tune of $4 million in state funding due to an anticipated decline in ABSS student enrollment.
