School Board Adopts $1 9.65
Million Co
BY SUSAN USHER
After more than two hours of dis
cussion, Brunswick County Board
of Education members adopted their
proposed 1994-95 budget last
Thursday without any changes.
ITiis year the public schools are
asking county commissioners for
S1I.2K million in current cxricnw
or 29.26 percent more than received
last year, plus $8.37 million in capi
tal outlay funds.
The current expense budget re
flects aii increase of SI. 87 million
over this year's local budget, but
$2.55 million over this year's county
allocation. (The school system bal
anced its current budget using the
last $600,000 in its reserves.)
The bulk of the capital outlay
budget. $5.66 million, is for con
struction of the new Leland Ele
mentary School.
The proposed budget was adopted
unanimously the day after a public
hearing at which one speaker
thanked the board for providing
good information, but duv Lscu it was
"too little, too late."
"This is a public relations job that
should have begun weeks ago. even
six months ago." said Tom Pope.
"You can trust the public," he ad
monished the board. "We are not out
to g?( you. We trust you; w? s^nd
our children to vou."
Without that trust and committ
ment, he suggested, the schools
won't get public support. Instead, he
said, "your arrogance will be re
sponded to on poll day."
When school board members met
Thursday to take one last look at the
budget request before its adoption,
board member Thurman Cause's
questioned the jump in the request,
asking. "Isn't that ridiculous?"
"We've got to ask for what we
need," member Polly Russ reminded
him
The request may seem high be
cause it addresses "concerns that we
have put off for six years." Chair
man Donna Baxter said. "We're try
ing to make the budget proccss
work."
The budget reflects requests fun
neled up from classroom teachers,
principals and supervisors, then re
viewed and cut by a budget commit
tee.
The sought-for county allocation
would be part of a total budget of
about $44 million, including state
and federal funds. The estimated S2
miiiion increase over this year re
flects $5.66 million budgeted for the
new school.
The school board also voted
Thursday to ask county commis
sioners to approve use of $300,000
m A HI! / J ??..
1 ru"TI va*w,?5^ a?ti)r iiiciiiuci
ship) state project furyls to cover the
cost of an addition at West Bruns
wick High School that will cost
more than the $774,254 commis
sioners hod allocated this year. Bids
for a smaller project at North Bruns
wick High School are within budget
at $543,021.
Hearing Draws Few
Questions
Few questions were raised last
Wednesday night at Supply Ele
mentary School during the informal
public hearing on next year's pro
posed budget. It was the first such
hearing held by the school system in
at least 13 years. Called on short no
tice. it drew approximately SO peo
ple, mostly school system employ
ees and their spouses. Everyone had
a chance to look at a summary of the
budget, but had to turn their copies
in at the close of the hearing.
PTA Council Chairman Glenda
Browning asked if Brunswick
County Commissioners were aware
of the school system's capital needs
over the next five years, to which
member Bill Fairley replied, "They
don't believe it, but they are aware
of it"
Before adopting the budget
Thursday, School board members
satisifed themselves regarding sev
eral specific questions raised at the
hearing.
One speaker had questioned the
rumored loss of a Chapter 1 remedi
al reading position at Southport
Elementary School.
Assistant Superintendent Jan Cal
houn confirmed the cut. He said car
ryover funds from last year allowed
program director Patricia Ward to
continue all Chapter 1 positions this
year, but that money is gone. South
port Elementary was been "grandfa
thered" to receive services in 1994
95, but will lose services in 1995-96
because the percentage of students
eligible for free and reduced school
meals has dropped below the level
that determines a school's eligibility
for the federally-funded remediation
program.
"We had to reduce one staff posi
tion outright next year, so we chose
the school that will lose services the
following year," said Calhoun. The
reduction will oe taken care of by
not filling a vacancy.
To accommodate other expected
Chapter 1 program changes such as
unty Budg
a new emphasis on prevention.
Calhoun said the county has already
begun shifting its focus to the lower
grades including pre-kindergarten.
and is eliminating services to sixth
graders.
The county is shifting to use of
the Reading Recovery approach for
tcauinis remedial 1011. witii ????
of having two teachers per school
and two teacher leaders for the
ronnrv
"If we keep the same kind of re
medial program we have now, we
will have to look at local funds in
the future," he told the board.
For next year, though, he said ob
taining county funding to continue
the extended day program at the
high schools is a higher priority be
cause "it leaves a bigger hole in our
services to kids."
Mary Yates, president of the
county chapter of the North Carolina
Association for Teachers, had ques
tioned paying dues for school sys
tem membership in the North
Carolina Association of School
Administrators. Superintendent
Ralph Johnston said that joining as a
system allowed payment of dues
based on the size of the system, and
inclusion of assistant principals. The
association does not lobby for or
nrnvlrj; jagij intervention OS bc!l2!f
of its members, but provides staff
development and consultation to
member units for the cost of travel
only.
The school system is the county's
largest single employer, with 1.200
workers who support an enrollment
of 9.200 students and attendance of
about y,lX)0 a day Over the next
five years the N.C. Department of
Public Instruction estimates county
school enrollment will climb to
12,500.
Of the 1,200 school system em
ployees, 1 ,032 are based at the
school level. Of the total, 919.5 are
paid with state money, 45 with fed
eral, and 66.5 with child nutrition
funds.
While supplementing pay for nu
merous employees from bus drivers
to the superintendent, Brunswick
County pays the full salaries of 169
people. These include 19 mainte
nance workers, two assistant princi
pals, 39.3 regular teachers, 2.8 spe
cial instructional teachers, tour men
tal. physical health services workers,
five programs in Job Trainsssg
Partnership Act program positions,
eight administrative specialists,
three teacher assistants and four spe
cial instructional teacher assistants.
Eighty -six percent of the county 's
current expense allocation cither di
rectly or indirectly supports stu
dents. according to Finance Officer
Rudi Connor Forty percent goes to
ward instruction, hands-on direct
student contact, including employee
benefits. School-level support ser
vices ? from social workers to in
structional supervisors, pupil trans
portation, building cleaning and
maintenance, utilities and area tech
ployee benefits, account for another
46 percent.
Central operations including busi
ness support services and general
school system administration costs
SI. 54 million in local funds, or 13
percent of the budget: and the
Community Schools program that
coordinates after-srh?o! use of facil
ities, $12,295, or 1 percent.
Continuation Budget
To continue existing programs at
the existing level next year will re
quire an additional $311,336, re
flecting higher personnel, utility, in
surance and maintenance costs.
That sum includes matching for
county-paid employees the 4 percent
salary increase anticipated for state
paid employees; and locally fund
ing, at S94.000, the extended day
program that allows students to pur
sue their diploma outside ilic tradi
tional school day. At present 80 per
cent of the program cost is paid by
the Private industry Council through
federal Job Training Partnership Act
(JTPA) funds. However, school offi
cials say the program could not be
et Request
continued next year with those funds
unless a job component was added.
Not covered in the continuation
budget are expenses county com
missioners paid last year in a special
S 1 million technology allocation.
A Cfopowj 51.56 million r*n*n.
sion budget includes slightly over Si
million for personnel, including con
tinning with s computer coordinator
for cach of the county's 12 schools.
The expansion budget also reflects
3M exceptional children's teachers,
one cach at Leland Middle and Sup
ply Elementary, and 1M at Bolivia;
an additional physical education
teacher at Waccamaw Elementary;
six classroom teachers (one each at
Bolivia, North Brunswick High,
Shallotte Middle, Leland Middle,
and two at South Brunswick High);
hiring the principal of the new
Leland Elementary School at
$43,000; and hiring a site facilitator
for Brunswick County Schools' par
ticipation in the N.C. Information
Highway. $27,000.
The expansion budget also in
cludes adding an 11th month of em
ployment for high school and mid
dle school assistant principals,
$20,000; a new salary schedule for
teacher assisJarts. ticorww . ten
increase in salary supplement nliw
benefits for all bus drivers, $7,600;
an increase in the local teachers'
supplement, tl ftl.nQQ; si?d adjust
ment to custodial salaries to bring
average local salaries in line with
state average wages. The 1994-95
budget includes $22,500, or one
month adjustment for June 1995. In
1995-%. the line item will jump by
an estimated $193,722.
The school system is also asking
for another $9,500 for additional
supplies and materials for the pupil
support services area; $11,500 to
pay substitute custodians; and anoth
er $515,000 to meet instructional
services needs.
Capital Needs
Of the schools' $8.37 million cap
ital outlay request, $5.66 million
would go toward building the new
Leland Elementary School.
A $900,000 line item for technol
ogy-related equipment and site im
provement and $175,000 for instruc
tional equipment reflects a budget
emphasis on technology, math and
science. OUici genera i items inciuae
$40,000 in custodial equipment;
$75,000 for other roof repairs;
*75.000 for music equipment; and
$39,000, print shop equipment; and
vehicles, $105,000 for one yellow
school bus, one activity bus and two
iiiaiuicnance vehicles.
The school-by-school allocations
below were agreed upon as priorities
by a budget committee that included
school administrators: West,
$132,650; Union, $70,450; Shallotte
Middle, $107,083; Waccamaw,
$195,287; Supply, $73,650; Bolivia,
$63,538: Lincoln, $173,350; Leland,
$114,058; North, $187,940; South
Middle, $70,033; South High,
$162,500; Southport, $28,185.
Most elementary schools request
ed routine carpet and furniture re
placement; cafeteria, custodial and
physical education equipment; copi
er purchase contract payments.
Bolivia Elementary, Shallotte
Middle and Lincoln Primary sre
asking for phone system upgrades.
Bolivia and Lincoln also need new
public announcement sysfctna.
Lincoln is asking for $13,000 for
transportation for a proposed split
schedule kindergarten program and
$60,000 for a new boiler for the
gym.
Several schools need new heating
and air conditioning equipment and
Shallotte Middle needs roof repairs.
The middle schools are each re
questing 5 1 3,333 for their athletic
programs and the high schools,
$19,500 for athletic equipment and
$16,400 each for bleachers; $7,500
cach for wall lockers. North is re
questing $34,300 in vocational
equipment, while South Brunswick
wants $15,000 for an aquaculture
pond.
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