Grayson School Board asks for increase in local funding

By Amy Boucher

 

INDEPENDENCE – The Grayson County School Board is asking county supervisors for $250,000 above the minimally required funding for 2014-15 to pay for laptop computers for students, a new school bus, and renovations for aging facilities.

County Administrator Jonathan Sweet said that the 2014-15 budget would be tight, but he hopes that his plan for debt retirement could provide some extra funds. Grayson ranks 131 of 136 school divisions in local funding effort this year. “I’d like to get to at least 100 of the 136,” said Schools’ Superintendent Kevin Chalfant. “That would be my long-term goal.”

County supervisors praised the school board for a forward-thinking budget but said providing funding would be difficult. “Our desire to help is there,” said Supervisors’ Chairman John Brewer. But he said that providing educational opportunities for students could not come at the expense of parents who have to support those students.

And Sweet pointed out that the county already will have to shell out approximately $550,000 extra because of a change in the composite index, the rate at which the state reimburses the county for each student. With the change, the state has signaled that Grayson’s economy is strengthening and therefore can afford to pay a greater local share of each student’s educational cost.

Additionally, Grayson will have fewer total students next year, 1,763, which means less state funding. Grayson had 1,772 students at the end of the 2012-13 school year.

The discussion came at a joint meeting of the two boards Monday night.

The school board is proposing a 2 percent raise for all employees plus a step increase and insurance. Grayson ranks 119 of 136 school divisions in the state in teacher pay.

Chalfant presented the school board’s budget priorities. The school board plans to match any extra funding from the county with $250,000 it has set aside from grants and budget savings.

The largest share of the extra funding, $100,000, would go to a technology initiative aimed at providing all students in grades four through 12 with laptop computers for school and home use over a three-year period. Students in grades one through three would have laptops in their classrooms. Additionally, all county schools would have wireless networks for Internet access.

Textbooks would be on the computers and students could work from home on snow days, Chalfant said. One-third of students will get the purchased or leased latptops for three years, when all students will have them.

The technology initiative will help prepare students for the workforce and attract jobs to the county, he said.

The school board wants $90,000 extra to pay for a new school bus, and plans to buy an activity bus with school funds for $110,000. Chalfant said 19 buses have traveled more than 150,000 miles.

Another $60,000 in extra funding will go to school maintenance needs like air conditioning and new cabinets and counters in the CATE center, among others.

The state has not decided on its funding yet, so the school board is still waiting for final budget figures, but using the governor’s funding plan, the school budget will total $21.7 million.

With the changes in total students and the reimbursement rate, the county is already looking at a $750,000 increase from this year, Sweet said. Another $250,000 would bring that total to $1 million more in local funding.

At-large Supervisor David Sexton said that one extra cent on the tax levy brings in $40,000. While he supports the initiatives, “finding the money is the challenge,” he said.

Brewer estimated that more than 50 percent of Grayson’s students do not have access to technology at home. “The question is, how we’re going to pay for it.”

In response to a question from School Board Member Wynn Combs, Chalfant said he did not know how many students in Grayson don’t have access to the Internet at home, but members of both boards agreed that students all seem to have cell phones.

Sweet said the county could not respond to the request immediately, but commended the school board “for looking at something else, other than the status quo.”

“Do you have an Option Two?” asked Wilson District Supervisor Glen Eddie Rosenbaum.

Chalfant said if the school system could not get the extra funding, it would spread the laptop purchases over five years and only buy one bus, and carry out half the maintenance projects.

Oldtown Supervisor Kenneth Belton said he liked the idea of the school board and supervisors putting up matching funds.

Sweet said the county has not determined its bottom line yet, and extended some hope to the school board. “Maybe the numbers will be in our favor.”

“It does look like the county is in a lot better shape than it has been in years,” said School Board Member Gary Burris, referring to a recent audit report.