14B
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Budget Cuts Cast Shadow on New School Year
By Michael Davis
Assistant City Editor
As area public schools begin anew
academic year, teachers and adminis
trators are bracing themselves for a
tighter budget than in the past.
State economic woes have forced leg
islators to cut funding from many sec
tors, including primary and secondary
education.
Officials are still awaiting passage of
the state budget in the N.C. General
Assembly to determine just how hard
they will be hit.
Kim Hoke, spokeswoman for Chapel
Hill-Carrboro City Schools, said that
despite the uncertainty, administration
already has started planning for cuts.
“The magnitude of the cuts is not yet
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known,” Hoke said.
She said the school system placed a
freeze on all positions that are not direct
ly teacher-principal related, and is hold
ing two vacant teacher assistant posi
tions per school.
Hoke added that the system has only
allocated 80 to 85 percent of the sup
plies and materials budgeted to the indi
vidual schools.
Officials used capital outlay funds to
balance the system budget, resulting in
fewer building repairs over the summer,
Hoke said.
She said that with enrollment grow
ing next year, the system is not expect
ing large cuts compared to other dis
tricts statewide. Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City Schools had an enrollment of
10,019 during 2001-02, but officials are
projecting 10,448 students for this acad
emic year.
But Hoke said while there are clear
signs of concern over impending budget
cuts, she hopes the impact will not be
too detrimental in the classroom.
“Hopefully the cuts will not affect
students’ education too directly,” she
said.
While most areas of public education
are receiving funding reductions, the
N.C. House recently proposed a pay
raise that averaged 1.8 percent for
teachers and principals.
Hoke said the proposal can be
viewed as an incentive to draw teachers
into the system and combat the current
state teacher shortage.
Susan Hoffman, a first grade teacher
at Mary Scroggs Elementary School,
said she hopes the concerns of teachers
will be a top priority in the budget.
“We’re still waiting to find out about
our raise,” Hoffman said. “I hope
they’re still going to keep teachers in
mind.”
She said that while her school has not
been forced to reduce supplies for the
new year, any cuts are unfortunate.
“It’s too bad that cuts have to be
made at all,” she said.
Aim Hill, PTA president at Ephesus
Road Elementary, said one of her chief
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Teacher Susan Hoffman works at
Mary Scroggs Elementary.
concerns is potential cutbacks in special
areas, including programs for special
education and academically-gifted stu
dents.
“People are concerned that any cut
backs will take (away) from any of these
programs,” Hill said.
But she said the PTA will work hard
to support all faculty and students.
“We’ll make every effort to meet
their needs.”
The City Editor can be reached at
citydesk@unc.edu.
Schools Tackle Security,
Educational Gap Issues
By Michael Davis
Assistant City Editor
Narrowing the educational gap and
maintaining campus security are among
the concerns of area public school teach
ers and administrators this academic year.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
have adopted the theme of “equity and
excellence” to stress the importance of
reaching out to minority students that
often get left behind.
Kim Hoke, system spokeswoman,
said the mission is to increase achieve
ment and educational opportunities for
these students. Hoke said the school
board is trying to ensure that there are
fewer barriers for minority students who
want to attend field trips with a cost.
The school district faces another bar
rier in its need for qualified faculty. As
students return to area schools this week,
some positions remain open, Hoke said.
She said that the system filled 145 vacan
cies over the summer but that 10 to 15
spots still remain to be filled.
She added that these open positions
tend to deal with special needs students
and English as a second language class
es, and that bonuses are offered to
attract teachers to these areas.
Hoke said that despite the challenges
facing the district, the atmosphere sur
rounding the new school year is opti
mistic. “Every time we start anew year,
it’s usually a start for new opportunities,”
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she said. “I think everybody’s excited.”
Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board
member Maryanne Rosenman said
overcrowding, while not anew concern,
is still a major issue in the school system.
Rosenman said the enrollment increase
is highest for high schools and no funds
exist to build additional facilities for this
age group. “We’re a little concerned about
high school capacity,” she said.
Security issues have also caused some
officials and parents added concern.
In April an attempted student snatch
ing at Frank Porter Graham Elementary
School heightened security concerns in
the community.
But Rosenman said safety always has
been a top priority. She said under the
safe schools plans, school administrators
are expected to report safety concerns.
Steve Scroggs, assistant superinten
dent for support services for Chapel
Hill-Carrboro City Schools, said the
Department of Public Instruction and
Chapel Hill police are currently exam
ining security procedures.
Scroggs said officials rewrite the safe
schools plans every three years. But he
said that while he is confident of the safe
ty in area public schools, security will
always be a major concern. “Schools are
the safest places kids can be,” he said.
“Are we concerned? Absolutely.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.