Gloucester schools may seek more funds from county for FY2013
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The Gloucester School Board may look to the county for more budget support this year, as the school division’s enrollment continues to drop along with state and federal funding.
Division superintendent Ben Kiser sought the board’s consent Tuesday to ask county supervisors for $4.3 million in additional funds for its fiscal year 2013 operating budget. The request would include a 4 percent raise for employees, who have not had a pay hike in recent years.
The current school operating budget is at about $52 million, a drop of more than $7 million from where it was four years ago. Kiser anticipates a loss of $1.9 million in state and federal money for the upcoming budget year, along with an additional $1.9 million hike in Virginia Retirement System costs, for a total budget reduction of $3.8 million for Fiscal Year 2013.
The division has seen its student numbers drop by just over 300 over the past five years, while funding reductions have led to the loss of 80 full-time positions. The positions were reduced through attrition. "The one positive about our declining enrollment is that it has allowed us to absorb positions," said Ki-
ser, who is hopeful that attrition will again allow the division to drop 40 to 50 positions to help reduce the anticipated $3.8 million shortfall.
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