Gloucester County Public Schools will be seeking an additional appropriation from the county of nearly $1.5 million to fulfill its budget needs for the coming fiscal year, an increase of 6.5 percent over current funding levels, with the increase going primarily to fund capital projects, according to school superintendent Ben Kiser’s proposed budget.
Kiser presented his recommended $64 million 2014 fiscal year budget to the Gloucester County School Board during its meeting Tuesday night in the colonial courthouse. The proposed budget represents a 10.5 percent increase over the current $57.9 million allocation.
Kiser said the school system is anticipating a state revenue loss of more than $450,000 and a federal revenue loss of nearly $250,000. He said the system could see an even higher cut in federal funding if sequestration measures are implemented by Congress.
The proposed school budget includes a 2 percent across-the-board raise for school employees, and Kiser anticipates a 5 percent increase in health insurance costs in the coming year.
Kiser said a main initiative he hopes the school system will take in next year’s budget is the hiring of two school resource officers who would float among the five elementary schools. However, several school board members wanted more than two officers funded.
“I would like to see officers in every elementary school,” said Petsworth district school board member Anita Parker.
York district school board member Carla Hook agreed, saying it is not right to have resource officers at the two middle schools and Gloucester High School, and not the elementary schools. “The community gets behind it if they believe it is important for children,” Hook said. “This might be one of those things.”
Kiser said that when he discussed the possibility of equipping resource officers at all of the elementary schools, Gloucester sheriff Darrell Warren estimated the cost would be $380,000. “That’s a significant contrast,” Kiser said, to the $100,000 it would cost the school system to equip two officers.
At-large school board member Ann Burruss agreed, saying there were other more cost-effective measures that could be taken to make the schools safer. “I think we need to proceed with caution,” Burruss said.
One measure would be improving safety at the entrances of the elementary schools and improving phone systems. Burruss also said other localities are having regular patrol cars park in school lots to do their paperwork.
Per the recommendation of the county’s Capital Improvement Projects Committee, Kiser included $5.8 million worth of capital improvement projects in his proposed budget.
The largest amount would go for roof and HVAC repair, particularly at Petsworth Elementary School; $495,000 toward vehicle/bus replacement; over $230,000 to replace the track and improve drainage at the Gloucester High School stadium, and $130,000 for phone upgrades related to school safety.
Kiser said student enrollment continues to decline. Projected enrollment for 2014 is 5,406, with 4,980 students expected to be enrolled in the division by 2018.
He said the current per-student cost to the school system is $9,493. “We’re not at the top in Virginia,” Kiser said. “Many districts are spending well over $10,000 per child. I use this to tout our conservative approach and efficiency.”
The school board will hold a work session and public hearing on the proposed budget on Feb. 26.
Educational Center
The school board heard bid estimates for the first time Tuesday night to complete renovation work to the Thomas Calhoun Walker Educational Center.
Gloucester County Public Schools construction manager Scott Shorland said the county had received 13 bids and estimated total cost of the project at just over $3.6 million. The county’s board of supervisors earlier indicated it may fund up to $1 million for the renovations.
Kiser asked school board members Tuesday night to decide on a monetary amount to request the board of supervisors to allocate.
After well over an hour of discussion on the matter and several failed motions, the school board could not agree on an appropriate amount to ask the county’s governing body to allocate for renovations.
“We need to get one project done before we go to get this done,” at-large school board member Kevin Smith said. “I’d like to see us get Page Middle School taken care of first, and then go to this project.”
Hook agreed, saying, “I have no problem slowing this train down. I don’t think it’s where we need to go right now.”
Parker said the plan to renovate the building is a good one, and one to look at in the future. “But I’d like to see Page Middle School built first,” she said.
Ware district school board member Kim Hensley took another view, saying she was concerned with waiting. “I don’t want to scrap the whole idea,” Hensley said. “I want the Thomas Calhoun Walker Educational Center to continue housing more opportunities for county residents.”
Burruss agreed with Hensley and said one project doesn’t depend on the other. “This is a whole separate package,” Burruss said. “I have a hard time figuring out how dealing with this project would force Page Middle School to go faster. I don’t see it.”