School Board news, notes

By Anna Mitchell  

JANUARY 27, 2010 1:35 p.m. (0)

Mid-year state cuts – 4 percent in September and another 5 percent in December –pushed trustees to approve spending $8.4 million out of the district’s $48 million reserve fund. That money covers the 4 percent, and Finance Director Jeff Knotts said he’d come back with a plan for dealing with the other 5 percent.

Scaling back on extras such as training and supplies and increasing student-teacher ratios by 0.5 has helped the school district weather a financial beating since summer of 2008 – which last year cost the district $29 million in state funds – without raising taxes.

Whether those cuts will have saved the district enough to cover the December state cut won’t be known for several more months, Knotts said.

The district also must start planning the 2010-2011 budget soon amid an atmosphere of financial uncertainty again in Columbia.

Pam Mills, the district’s coordinator of public policy, told board members a House Ways and Means subcommittee is hearing proposals such as furloughs and cuts to the $8,000 raises automatically given to teachers who obtain National Board Certification.

“They are looking for items to make cuts because revenue is not coming in as projected,” Mills said. “You will be hearing lots of proposals.”

The House will vote on a budget in early March, she said, and then the Senate will take up proposals.

Board member Leola Robinson-Simpson said she wanted to make sure the board – which represents South Carolina’s largest school district – weighs in on the House and Senate proposals before they go to a vote.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mills said.

Also during Tuesday night’s board meeting:

Wade Hampton High School Principal Lance Radford received a standing ovation for his accomplishments this year. Radford, who first became principal in 2005, was named South Carolina Secondary Principal of the Year this past fall and has been named a runner up for this year’s National Secondary Principal of the Year. Radford started teaching in 1989 – inspired, he said, by celebrated T.L. Hanna High School teacher and coach Harold Jones. Jones was played by Ed Harris in the film “Radio,” about the coach’s friendship with a developmentally disabled man. “To him I mattered,” Radford said. “Through my relationship with him, I decided if I could have the impact in other people’s lives that he had in mine, that would be a life worth living.” Radford pointed to other mentors over the years who encouraged him to pursue a career in administration – Leroy Hamilton, Talmadge Gray and Ken Peake – before thanking Superintendent Penny Fisher. “Of course, where would I be without you, Dr. Fisher?” he said. “She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”

Auditor Richard Barber outlined some areas his staff will examine over the next 12 months. First, his auditors will look at a sampling of after-school programs – essentially extended day daycare operations run by individual schools – to see how profitable they have been. Most schools who run these after-school programs yield a profit – money they use for school projects or supplies, up to the discretion of principals. Some operations are less profitable or are losing money, Barber said, and his staff can iron out potential payroll issues. Barber’s auditors will also look at the district’s heating-and-air maintenance schedule to make sure all the new big machines are getting planned checkups. These are essential to stay eligible under manufacturer warranties. Finally, Barber will take a look at substitute teachers to make sure they are called in to cover absences and not to help as extra personnel. “We want to make sure that substitutes we are paying are assigned properly for a teacher and not as additional administrative staff,” he said.

The Greenville County School Board next meets 9 a.m. Feb 9 at district headquarters, 301 Camperdown Way in Greenville.

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