School officials making tough decisions
By Staff
Jonathan Willis
Russellville city school officials are working to make staff arrangements despite not knowing what the state education budget will be like in the fall.
The city school board voted to non-renew five staff members Thursday and will put a hold on replacing 11 other positions that are opening due to retirements and resignations.
"We are trying to do the least damage as we can," Superintendent Dr. Wayne Ray said. "It's a sad day for us."
The decision not to replace nine certified staff positions and two non-certified positions that opened means that teachers could be moved from within the system to take on new responsibilities, but still making gaps in staff positions.
The state Senate adjourned the 2008 legislative session Monday without passing next fiscal year's education budget. Lawmakers could not reach an agreement Monday on the budget, which stalled over disputes on the amount of money going to higher education.
What killed the budget was an extra $25 million for higher education in an overall budget of $6.4 billion.
"It's sad when our two prestigious colleges killed the education budget for $25 million," Ray said, pointing out the different ways that colleges and universities receive funding. "Only 20 percent of their budget comes from the state. They don't have to put in matching funds like K-12."
Ray said that by not having a budget in place by the end of the school year, which in most places is this week or next, thousands of teachers across the state will lose their jobs.
The House of Representatives had already passed the budget, but the Senate failed to do so after stalling for months over a gambling bill.
Ray said Thursday that the system would be in a much better position right now if the city had not placed a cap on the amount of funding the school system gets each year. Ray said the move by the city in 2006 kept the system from having an additional $1.3 million.
"If we had that $1.3 million with what we have, we wouldn't be looking to do what we did," he said.
"I hope a new administration will be supportive of the school system."
School officials will see if the governor's proposed budget, which was already tight, gets passed in a special session soon, before making any more personnel moves.
"It's a shame what the (Senate) is doing," Ray said. "It affects every student and teacher in the state."
