Teachers possibly among Charlottesville cuts

Charlottesville might increase the size of classes at two of its schools, cut teaching positions and fire several instructional assistants to help make up for an expected loss in state education funding next fiscal year.
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced last week that he would recommend undoing the proposed freeze of the composite index, which determines the amount of state education funding for each locality. If the General Assembly approves the recommendation, Charlottesville would lose more than $1 million in state funding, according to division estimates.

As a result, the division’s administration is considering increasing class sizes at Walker Upper Elementary and Buford Middle — cutting one teacher at the former and 1.5 teachers at the latter — and shedding seven instructional assistant positions next year.
Six of the instructional assistant cuts would come from the second grade or media services in the city’s elementary schools. The seventh would be cut from the Henry Avenue Learning Center.
The teacher-to-student ratio at Walker and Buford would be upped from one to 16.25 to one to 16.75, but class sizes would not be altered at elementary schools or at Charlottesville High School.
“At our elementary schools, we know our students need more individualized attention,” Superin-tendent Rosa S. Atkins said in an interview. “At Walker and Buford, our students become a little more independent.”

Waiting and calculating

The division would save more than $350,000 next year if the cuts are made. The proposed reductions were presented to the Charlottesville School Board on Monday.
In the proposed fiscal 2011 budget, Atkins had already proposed a cut of more than 13 teaching-related positions, which includes teachers and instructional assistants, because there are fewer students projected to enroll in the city’s public schools next year. The cuts due to the composite index adjustment would be made on top of those.

Before McDonnell announced his decision, the superintendent had proposed a $69.4 million budget for fiscal 2011.
Accounting for the governor’s decision, under the division’s new budget proposal, increases in health insurance premiums would also partly be passed onto the division’s employees, saving the school system an estimated $97,509. One accounting technician and half of a clerical position are also proposed to be eliminated from the division’s Central Office, recouping more than $94,000.
“In some ways, everybody needs to feel the pinch,” board member Colette Blount said.
The school division’s current budget is its largest — $70.4 million. In fiscal 2007, four years ago, the schools budget was about $62.2 million.

Not hiring

The city schools have already had to account for a deficit of about $1.3 million in the proposed fiscal 2011 budget because of increased costs and decreased revenues. No new staff additions or raises have been proposed.
So far, despite having to grapple with several rounds of funding cuts, the division has not fired teachers or instructional assistants to make up for budgetary losses. Rather, the shedding of teaching-related positions has been done to adjust for declining enrollment.

The School Board is scheduled to vote on the budget Feb. 25. With the division’ s budget situation expected to get worse, board member Kathy Galvin said members need to discuss the entire division’s future — whether that means getting enrollment back up to prevent staff losses, closing a school or consolidating with neighboring Albemarle County.
“At some point, I think, those are the big three,” she said.