Schools face more budget cuts to 'responsive' budget
By Alice Felts
They were words that would warm any elected official's heart. “Thank you for a very responsive budget,” said Terry Nyhous, supervisor from the Center District.The board of supervisors gave kudos to the members of the school board and Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Lewis for a well-planned and streamlined Fiscal Year 2009 school budget that is reflective of the tough economy facing the county. And yet, Nyhous reminded both boards that the county was already facing a possible 17-cent tax increase, indicating that even with an already slim school budget, more cuts may be ahead.
Raymond “Duke” Bland, school board chairman, empathized with the dilemma, “We are all taxpayers, too,” he reminded the supervisors. He added that the school board is always challenged, but is always performing ongoing evaluations of budget issues.
The total proposed school budget for FY09 is $142,401,084, an increase of $12,911,609 from last year.. The 9.97 percent increase is due mainly to the opening of Kettle Run High School and Greenville Elementary which is responsible for 6.8 percent of the increase.
There are still some unknowns regarding the budget. Staffing cannot be finalized until course schedules are requested by students in the spring for the following year. Also, the proposed budget is based on the governor's version of the state budget in which Fauquier would receive $38.7 million from the state toward education expenditures. However, the General Assembly is currently in the process of reviewing allocations, and there is the possibility that less state money will be available for all school districts.
Another factor that usually affects the budget is student enrollment. According to Janice Bourne, assistant superintendent for administration, administrators are expecting an unusually flat enrollment — a less than one percent increase — in the fall of 2008.
Despite the unknowns, the budget process still has to move forward. As Lewis pointed out to the board of supervisors, developing the school budget “is not an exact science.”
At 7 p.m. on March 25, the board of supervisors will hold a public hearing on the county budget and tax rates at Fauquier High School. The budget, capital improvement plan and tax rate will be adopted on April 2.
E-mail the reporter: afelts@timespapers.com