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Hernando School Board seeks more information before deciding on budget cuts

 
Published May 21, 2015

BROOKSVILLE — The Hernando County School Board was presented this week with a grim list of possible cuts to make up a projected budget shortfall of $12 million.

To save nearly $10 million, the board was told, it could eliminate math and reading coaches, counselors, librarians and every other instructional staffer not directly responsible for a class.

The board could end all high school and middle school sports at a savings of nearly $700,000.

It could ax all art and music programs, which would bring the district $2.6 million closer to its budget goal.

It could institute unpaid furloughs for teachers or eliminate the supplemental pay they receive for taking on extra duties, such as coaching and supervising extracurricular activities.

Board members chose, at least for now, none of the above.

They asked for more information in the hope of findings sources of savings — closing underpopulated schools, reducing air conditioning costs and bus routes — other than cutting teaching jobs.

District staffers agreed to make that information available for discussion at the board's next workshop, on June 9. But superintendent Lori Romano warned board members that those types of cuts probably would not save as much money as needed.

"Eighty-five percent of the budget is salary and benefits," Romano told the board. "So just keep that in mind."

Most of the shortfall is due to the loss of $8.5 million annually from a half-cent sales tax that expired at the end of 2014. And the list of possible cuts mirrors those on a brochure printed by the district to start its push for a renewal of the tax in a referendum in September.

The elimination of all teachers not directly assigned to a class — and therefore not bringing in state per-student allotments — struck board member Beth Narverud as the least desirable option.

"I know these non-instructional (teachers) may not have direct contact with students on a daily basis, but they definitely have a huge impact on our students and grades our students can achieve," Narverud said.

"I mean reading coaches? How are we ever going to become an A district without reading coaches?"

She said she would prefer to close some schools, which should lead to savings by consolidating staffers.

That would also save transportation costs, said board member Matt Foreman.

Board member Mark Johnson asked staffers to bring back an estimate of how much money could be saved by replacing the school resource officers provided by the Sheriff's Office with private security officers.

Foreman also warned that some of the savings, such as ending supplements for extra duties, might not be easy to implement because of the rights of employees.

"From what I see here, about $3 million in these suggestions are subject to collective bargaining," he said.

Contact Dan DeWitt at ddewitt@tampabay.com; follow @ddewitttimes.