County schools expect revenue to drop further

Going into fiscal 2010, Albemarle County government will have to make do with about 9 percent fewer employees. The school division is also making new employee and operational spending cuts, anticipating even tougher economic times to come.

“We are a little bit concerned,” said Bruce Benson, the school division’s assistant superintendent for operations and systems planning. “We think that the revenues are probably going to fall over what was projected for [fiscal 2010].”

The county doesn’t expect to provide updated revenue projections until October. However, Ben-son said that the school division is preparing for bad news, as word has come from the state that its finances are continuing to look bleak.

Benson said that school division leaders recently told workers at all of the county’s schools, as well as in all of the division’s departments, that a 10 percent holdback on operational funds would be “effective immediately.”

Benson said that the school division is preparing for a possible scenario in which major spending reductions are necessary because of continued revenue declines.

Earlier this year, the county began providing incentives for county employees to retire early, such as extended medical coverage and one-time cash payouts. There were no layoffs.

The move was designed to make room for younger employees who’d be paid less, as well as open some positions that would be left vacant. Officials say the early retirement incentive program has succeeded.

The general government division now has eliminated 55 positions — bringing the total number of employees in the general government division to about 650 — partially because of the early retirement incentive program.

County spokeswoman Lee Catlin said that the county is continuing to alter employees’ job duties “to meet the most critical service needs.”

Benson largely attributes about 80 school employees retiring — a figure much higher than normal — to the early retirement incentive program. Many who retired were teachers or employees who worked in transportation or building services.

The county has had to hold several hiring fairs to recruit about 40 new bus drivers. About 40 are now undergoing training, and Benson hopes that the positions will be filled in time for the start of the school year.

As for the other vacant school positions, Benson said that a committee is examining each opening carefully to determine whether the positions need to be filled.

Though he didn’t have an estimate as to how many positions would be eliminated, he said that school division leaders are working to make sure that eliminated positions are as far from classrooms as possible.

The school division vowed during the fiscal 2010 budget process that no teachers would be laid off and that the number of teachers per student would not be lowered.

The county’s total approved budget for fiscal 2010 is $303.7 million, $30 million less than the budget approved for fiscal 2009. Of that $303.7 million, $149.1 million was allotted to the school division, $2.2 million less than the school system’s fiscal 2009 budget.

Though the county will have to make do with less in most cases this fiscal year, some federal stimulus grants might help.

The general government division hopes to receive a $406,000 grant designed to fund projects that reduce total energy use and fossil-fuel emissions, as well as improve energy efficien-cy, Catlin said.

The county also hopes to get a $113,138 grant that the county would likely use for the police department’s overtime costs, community policing projects and activities, and tasers for the sheriff’s office.

The county’s general government division is also trying to determine whether it’s eligible for additional funds worth several million dollars through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The school division is receiving $2.45 million in fiscal 2010 that will mostly be used toward capital expenditures, Benson said.

In addition, the school division is receiving about $2.6 million for the fiscal year that starts today; the money will be used toward Title I schools and for special education.