Fauquier FY 2013 school budget needs cash infusion

It’s that time again — time for Fauquier schools’ annual budget process — and without an increase from the county, school board members may face difficult decisions to make ends meet, according to a presentation by Superintendent of Schools Jonathan Lewis at Monday night’s work session.

“We can’t continue to operate a school program that extends well beyond our resources,” Lewis said. “Either our resources need to grow or we need to rethink the nature of our school program.”

Lewis’ initial budget presentation comes unprecedentedly early in the year, a strategic move he hopes will lead to greater public knowledge of the impending budget crisis.

“It’s important for people to know...much of what we value now [is] at great risk,” he said.

Since local funding cuts reduced the budget by $8.1 million in 2010, the division has shifted priorities, cutting other areas to keep teachers employed and class sizes small.

“We wanted to try to protect the things we value most because we were hopeful the downside would be short lived and the revenue would come back to the county,” he said.

For parents, classrooms don’t look much different today than they did three years ago, but according to Lewis “there’s a great deal different about the way our budget is structured in order to make that happen.” “Looking forward...these cuts are not sustainable,” he said, quoting a letter to the editor he penned for an April 2010 edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat.

At the end of the day, not only are small class sizes at risk, but also programs such as athletics, music and foreign language electives, and gifted education offerings.

Without a funding increase, teachers and staff could face a fifth year without raises, Lewis said.

His proposed Fiscal Year 2012-13 budget includes a 3 percent raise for employees, which school board members called a priority.

“Buildings don’t teach, teachers teach,” said Scott District Member Maureen Riordan. “Either you pay them and recognize what they do, or that changes.”

Currently, salaries comprise 90 percent of the $119.2 million FY 2012 school budget, leaving virtually no room for things like transportation improvements or the rising cost of health insurance and retirement, both of which are expected to increase this year.

Although the state gave Fauquier a one-time $4 million holiday on retirement plan payments, school officials expect a $3.6 million increase in retirement costs as well as a $2.3 million increase in health insurance premiums for 2012-13.

Should Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed budget pass, the school system would see an increase of $5.3 million in state funding, largely due to changes in the composite index that determines a locality’s share in state funding.

But those funds alone will not cover the rising costs of retirement and health insurance.

If, however, the schools were to receive 65 percent of the $2.5 million increase the county expects to see in revenue over the next year, Lewis believes the resulting $1.6 million in funding would be “the difference between making our budget work and not making it work.”

School board member Maureen Riordan believes the cuts sustained two years ago were disproportionate to the percentage of the budget that schools represent.

“We were 65 percent of the budget and 100 percent of the solution,” Lewis said in agreement.

Board members were in agreement that they must address employee contribution to both retirement and health insurance regardless of the outcome.

According to Riordan, Fauquier school employees pay some of the lowest premiums in the area.

“It’s important for people to understand that our personnel expenses are not sustainable,” Chairman Donna Grove said. “At this point it would be irresponsible for us not to realize that we have to make changes...we are operating beyond our means.”

Marshall District Representative Duke Bland believes the board has been creative, but said it’s “out of tricks.”

“We have community schools...but if we don’t get funding, I don’t know what else we can do,” he said, referencing the options of increasing class sizes or closing schools.

Unlike nearby metropolitan areas, Fauquier elementary schools boast an average student population of about 500, compared to an estimated 900 in Prince William County.

“Those are ideal sizes for [elementary] schools, because children are known and the relationships between teachers and [families] are strong,” Riordan said.

As programs are enlarged, Riordan fears Fauquier’s “community schools” will become less personal.

“We need to make sure that parents and the community understand what’s at stake,” she said.

An audio visual presentation on the budget, prepared by Lewis and presented at Monday’s meeting, will be available on the school website next week.

The superintendent will present the budget to the school board during its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. at Liberty High School.