Schools

Cobb School Board Delays Budget Vote

"At some point," Chairman Randy Scamihorn of North Cobb said, "we can't raise class size any more and we can't cut teachers. It's just physically impossible."

Members of the Cobb Board of Education remain far apart on how to close a significant budget deficit and have delayed an initial vote on a fiscal year 2014 spending plan for the Cobb County School District.

At the end of a nearly four-hour work session on Monday, the board agreed, in a 5-2 vote, to conduct another budget meeting next Monday, April 29, at 1 p.m.

The board was to slated adopt a tentative budget Thursday, an action that meets a legal requirement to advertise a public hearing.

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That hearing, scheduled for May 14, must be publicly advertised 14 days in advance. Next Monday's work session is 15 days ahead of the hearing. The board has scheduled May 16 for final budget approval.

But Monday's work session further revealed sharp divisions among board members as they discussed a 50-point list of expense and revenue options designed to eliminate an estimated $86.4 million deficit (see PDF for complete list and details).

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"I'm not comfortable even with voting on a tentative budget on Thursday," said board member Kathleen Angelucci of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb.

She was part of a loose majority of board members who on Monday argued strongly against further teacher reductions through attrition and increases in classroom size.

In their $894 million budget package, district officials originally proposed cutting 295 teaching positions -- with no layoffs -- but have since reduced that number to 226. That's still too steep of a cut for board members to absorb.

Chairman Randy Scamihorn of North Cobb, a retired Cobb teacher and school administrator, asked in reference to the broader list of proposed cuts: "What is necessity? At some point, we can't raise class size any more and we can't cut teachers. It's just physically impossible."

As for those areas and positions most likely to be cut, he said, "If you're not in a classroom, you're vulnerable. ... Teachers keep the schools open. Period."

A total of 18 budget items are what school officials term "above the line," meaning that put together they achieve a balanced budget. But some of the 32 items "below the line" -- which are meant only as options and not specific proposals -- have triggered a heavy volume of phone calls and e-mails to board members since last week's board work session.

In particular, parents and PTA groups -- including the Walton High School PTSA -- have come out strongly against the board considering suggested options of cutting art, music and band programs at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Taken together, they account for $23.4 million in spending. Another $6.89 million in funding for the full-day kindergarten program also is below the line.

After three hours of discussion, South Cobb board member David Morgan pointed to those programs -- costing $31.6 million -- as a place to start examining specific cuts since some of his colleagues didn't like other proposals.

"It's hard, nobody wants this," he said. "But you've got to start putting budget items out there that will fix the solution."

Board member Randy Wheeler of West Cobb said he agreed, but that "we're not there yet. Maybe in another year." Also a retired Cobb teacher, Wheeler suggested that the board take more out of reserves than the $22 million recommended by district officials and make more administrative cuts.

Angelucci held up her smartphone when talking about the contact she's received about the arts and music suggestions.

"These are just the items below the line, and everybody's e-mails have just exploded," said Angelucci, who noticed that no cuts to athletic programs were offered in the revised budget.

Scamihorn asked board members if any of them would vote to make cuts to arts and music programs. No hands went up, and Superintendent Michael Hinojosa told Angelucci that sports-related options would be provided for discussion at Thursday's regular board meeting.

Board members had barely begun taking non-binding votes on the line items when they agreed on something: That they weren't ready to vote on anything just now, even a straw poll.

"We've got to move the ball forward and make some decisions," said board member Scott Sweeney of Post 6 in East Cobb, who was the lone vote for tentative budget approval on Thursday.


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