School Calendar Is Shortened
The Jasper County Board of Education voted at a called meeting held last Wednesday to shorten the school calendar for students next year from 170 days to 165 days, due to budget concerns.
This is a result of continuous losses in revenues on both the state and local levels. The 165 days apply to all K-12 calendars next year, with the last day of school tentatively being May 3.
There was much discussion amongst the board members about the calendar, including the start date, the fact that the calendar is front loaded so that all statewide testing can be completed at the end of the year, and concerns about the weather being so hot in August. There was also concern about graduation exercises having to be held a few weeks after school ended because of a slow turnaround in scoring of end-of-course tests for seniors.
Dr. Mike Newton, superintendant made the recommendation for the 165 day calendar, and it passed 4-1 with all board members voting yes, except Dr. Shannon Barton.
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Dr. Barton voiced her concerns that the reduction resulted in too few instructional days for students next year. Dr. Newton agreed that he does not like to reduce any days, but there had to be immediate measures taken in order to reduce costs. He also noted that this decision affected over 2,000 children, including his two sons.
The other hot topic at Wednesday’s meeting was that of the budget. The system of Jasper County schools received the allocation numbers from the state and they were low.
The board was presented three different scenarios and Dr. Newton recommended the proposed budget that curbed using fund reserves to the amount of about one million dollars.
Dr. Newton’s recommendation takes a conservative approach to the revenue estimation, with proposed numbers reflecting a 93 percent local tax collection rate. He also did not budget for forest land funds that are not guaranteed but that the system is currently collecting at about an 18 month delay.
Eric Arena, Assistant Superintendant, told the board that the budged includes other reductions as well, such as a 13 percent reduction in incidental costs (energy, travel, maintenance, etc.) and 19 fewer staff positions, namely those which have already resigned to go elsewhere and are not being replaced for the FY2013 year.
Dr. Newton recommended a board millage rate of 18.99 and noted that rate will not meet the rollback rate, due to the drop in the local digest. He also reminded the board that the taxpayers will see a relief as the .90 bond will cease this year.
In addition to the number of days required as work and student days, Dr. Newton recommended that the board approve a waiver and resolution to the state board requesting flexibility herein. This passed 4-1, with Dr. Barton abstaining.
Teacher contracts were also on the agenda for the next school year and were voted on in two parts. Both parts of the certified contracts were passed unanimously to those teachers awarded.
