I want to thank those of you who have tried to learn and share facts. First, nothing has been done secretly or even particularly quietly. Mr. Logan’s presentation was posted online at the same time that it was sent to Board of Education members. The board had no prior notice of his plan. There is no information that has not been made public; everything presented to the board was made public as we received it. The meeting was also public and quite a few parents did attend.
Second, nothing is a “done deal.” This was a first presentation. All the board did was agree to ask for more information. No district is definitely going to be restructured. We will have community meetings to share information and hear comments before any decision is made. Mr. Leonard expressed that he did not want to pursue more information. Mr. O’Brien questioned transportation expenses and the board wanted more information about costs, savings, and other options. I have seen non-Chatham County Schools online postings referencing $400,000 for transportation but I don’t know where that came from; the board has not yet received any cost figures.
Why Mr. Logan proposed this now: The last two years we have received federal stimulus money that is currently funding 101 positions. During these two years we have already cut many things from our budget. We are fortunate to be one of two systems (out of 115) in the state that have not had to let anyone go. Some positions have been cut but no one lost their job due to a reduction in force. Unfortunately, the state is looking at an estimated budget deficit of 3.5 to 4 billion dollars. The federal stimulus money runs out next year and Chatham County Schools will be facing approximately a $4.5 million (or greater) budget deficit. We have to find a way to cut at least $4.5 million from our current school system budget.
We are to the point that the cuts are going to be painful. Mr. Logan presented redistricting/reconfiguring as a cost saving measure. He believes that consolidating grade levels and the services provided to those grade levels will save the school system between $675,000 and 1 million dollars. We have asked for more data to verify those savings. If the numbers show redistricting to save around a million dollars and the board still decides against redistricting, we have to cut those funds from somewhere else. Even with redistricting/reconfiguration there will still have to be additional cuts. The board has asked Mr. Logan to provide alternative proposals and budget scenarios showing comparable savings through other cuts. Other options could include cutting teacher assistants, reading specialists, AIG teachers, curriculum coordinators, and even classroom teachers. The state has lifted class size restrictions for grades 3-12. Systems across the state have already closed schools, cut positions, increased class sizes, and cut services. Some systems are charging up to $100 a sport to participate in athletics; others have cut extracurriculars like art or band completely.
Budget deficits mean that there will be some drastic changes in our school system for the next few years. We have to decide which options are the most tolerable and will have the least negative impact on academic achievement. If you want to know more, come to our meetings. Our next meeting will be at Horton Middle School in Pittsboro on February 14th at 6:30 p.m. If the board decides to continue considering redistriction/reconfiguring as an option, we will be hosting community meetings on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, February 15, at 7 p.m. - Chatham Central's Polly O. Yow Auditorium
Wednesday, February 16, at 7 p.m. - Northwood's Benjamin Lee Auditorium
Thursday, February 17, at 7 p.m. - Jordan-Matthews' auditorium
Second, nothing is a “done deal.” This was a first presentation. All the board did was agree to ask for more information. No district is definitely going to be restructured. We will have community meetings to share information and hear comments before any decision is made. Mr. Leonard expressed that he did not want to pursue more information. Mr. O’Brien questioned transportation expenses and the board wanted more information about costs, savings, and other options. I have seen non-Chatham County Schools online postings referencing $400,000 for transportation but I don’t know where that came from; the board has not yet received any cost figures.
Why Mr. Logan proposed this now: The last two years we have received federal stimulus money that is currently funding 101 positions. During these two years we have already cut many things from our budget. We are fortunate to be one of two systems (out of 115) in the state that have not had to let anyone go. Some positions have been cut but no one lost their job due to a reduction in force. Unfortunately, the state is looking at an estimated budget deficit of 3.5 to 4 billion dollars. The federal stimulus money runs out next year and Chatham County Schools will be facing approximately a $4.5 million (or greater) budget deficit. We have to find a way to cut at least $4.5 million from our current school system budget.
We are to the point that the cuts are going to be painful. Mr. Logan presented redistricting/reconfiguring as a cost saving measure. He believes that consolidating grade levels and the services provided to those grade levels will save the school system between $675,000 and 1 million dollars. We have asked for more data to verify those savings. If the numbers show redistricting to save around a million dollars and the board still decides against redistricting, we have to cut those funds from somewhere else. Even with redistricting/reconfiguration there will still have to be additional cuts. The board has asked Mr. Logan to provide alternative proposals and budget scenarios showing comparable savings through other cuts. Other options could include cutting teacher assistants, reading specialists, AIG teachers, curriculum coordinators, and even classroom teachers. The state has lifted class size restrictions for grades 3-12. Systems across the state have already closed schools, cut positions, increased class sizes, and cut services. Some systems are charging up to $100 a sport to participate in athletics; others have cut extracurriculars like art or band completely.
Budget deficits mean that there will be some drastic changes in our school system for the next few years. We have to decide which options are the most tolerable and will have the least negative impact on academic achievement. If you want to know more, come to our meetings. Our next meeting will be at Horton Middle School in Pittsboro on February 14th at 6:30 p.m. If the board decides to continue considering redistriction/reconfiguring as an option, we will be hosting community meetings on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, February 15, at 7 p.m. - Chatham Central's Polly O. Yow Auditorium
Wednesday, February 16, at 7 p.m. - Northwood's Benjamin Lee Auditorium
Thursday, February 17, at 7 p.m. - Jordan-Matthews' auditorium
