By Daniel L. Bamberg
Daniel@Centrevillepress.com
Governor Bentley’s recent Alabama education budget proposal has raised a lot of questions across the state regarding the public school system. Statistically speaking, rural counties such as Bibb will suffer greater with the economic loss, which has already begun with 3 years of state proration, and now with Bentley’s budget, Bibb County Schools Superintendent Greg Blake has found reason for alarm.
Recently Blake contacted State Representative and State Senators in hopes that they will consider adjusting some of the portions of the new budget.
“The Governor’s current proposal places numerous support workers in jeopardy,” explained Blake. “If the proposed budget moves forward, the Bibb County Board of Education could lose as many as 41 support jobs.”
According to Blake, the benefit of teacher aides will be greatly reduced. There will be a decrease in bus drivers, meaning a decrease in buses, as individual bus routes will be forced to extend. Custodians will be cut, as well as school nurses and other support personnel. In short, according to Blake in-county jobs will be lost as well as what Blake deems as necessary positions in the schools to help provide Bibb County’s children with an adequate education.
“In order for our children to succeed and move toward a college education, we must first provide a strong K-12 education. This has become more difficult while losing support from the State of Alabama. I am asking our legislators to consider a few adjustments to the budget that was recently submitted by Governor Bentley.”
Last week the Birmingham News reported that State Schools Superintendent Joseph Morton criticized Governor Bentley’s budget by suggesting that at least 49 of 132 school systems in Alabama would be unable to operate under the proposal.
“We need an increase in funding for OCE (Other Current Expense,” expressed Blake. “It is vital to the health of Bibb County Schools as well as our local economy. These funds are used to pay the salaries and benefits of essential support personnel for our schools, such as instructional and special education paraprofessionals and janitors. We also utilize the funds to pay for ever-increasing utilities.”
One of the seemingly more drastic areas of effectiveness for Bentley’s budget, outside of local job loss is the potential loss of bus drivers. Rural counties such as Bibb have buses, which already travel many miles to take kids to and from school. Brierfield, Eoline, Harrisburg, Pondville, Randolph, Six Mile, and other countryside areas accumulate lengthy bus routes which under Bentley’s budget would be tacked on to in town routes, extending the time frame of a student’s arrival home as well as making the pick up time for a student much earlier. There are also concerns from parents in rural areas that they will be forced to use their own means in getting their child to and from, and in two working parent or single parent households that doesn’t appear to be an easy solution.
“We must have a fully funded transportation budget,” Blake stressed. “For the last two years, a huge strain has been placed on our local general funds to cover transportation costs. We no longer have a large enough reserve, and not enough local revenues to continue to do so.”
In addition to those requests Blake asked for the state to fund the 1% salary adjustment to cover certified employee costs.
“We have very limited local revenues in Bibb County, due to having the minimum 10 mills and with 3 continuous years of proration, our reserves have been depleted,” explained Blake. “We have worked for months planning for the future with the loss of federal stimulus funds. We are not prepared to suffer a loss in OCE and transportation funds.
Blake also proposes a solution of raising divisors and reducing days. Blake admits that he and other Superintendents across the state, who are proposing the same solution, are not necessarily offering the most ideal concepts, they believe these solutions offer less detrimental effects on the schools, the students, and the local effected economies.
No comments:
Post a Comment