LAND O'LAKES — After months of talking about preserving jobs, Pasco County school district officials have come up with a working 2009-10 budget that brings a net loss of 279 jobs.
It's too soon to say whether there will be layoffs at the district, which employs nearly 10,000 people, officials said.
The proposal calls for eliminating or freezing more than 350 classroom and administrative positions, but the district is still filling other vacancies, including more than 80 new positions.
An additional 200 positions frozen in 2008-09 will also remain unfilled.
The moves will save the board $13 million as it grapples with a $21.3 million deficit in the tentative 2009-10 budget. An $8.5 million federal stimulus payment helped fill the rest of the hole.
Pasco School Board members met for a budget workshop Tuesday after their regular meeting. Talks will continue throughout the month as the county receives additional funding information from the state.
The proposed tax rate for the coming year is $7.378 per $1,000 of taxable value. That includes a tax rate of $5.13 per $1,000 for operations, according to estimates from the state Department of Education. The district expects that rate to rise, possibly by 34 cents per $1,000, on Tuesday when the state sets the district's "required local effort."
The Legislature gave school boards the authority this year to raise their tax rate up to an additional quarter-mill — or 25 cents of tax per $1,000 in taxable value — without a public vote to cover expected deficits.
Though it was supported by the United School Employees of Pasco union and could have led to at least $6 million in additional revenue, the board decided not to pursue the measure Tuesday after a discussion of continuing layoffs and hard times in the local economy.
School Board members have indicated they will hold the part of the tax rate for local capital improvement steady at $1.50 per $1,000 of taxable value.
The board on Tuesday discussed pursuing an $11 million interest-free loan from the federal government. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the funds must be used for construction, repairs or remodeling of public schools or the acquisition of land, not salaries, and have a binding commitment in place within six months of receipt.
An additional $11 million may also be available in 2010. The loans could save the district up to $4 million in interest payments over a 16-year term.
Proposed projects include a "shovel ready" series of construction work at the district headquarters, including a new $15 million administrative building and a $6 million culinary arts facility for nearby Land O'Lakes High School.
The district has already put aside about $10 million for the administrative building, which could go toward improvements at other county schools.
The board will vote on whether to pursue the loan at a later meeting.
The board is also considering imposing fees on nonprofits such as the American Cancer Society and Girl Scouts who currently use school facilities for free. Last year, such a fee could have generated $300,000 in income, officials said.
The board will conduct research into whether the county and neighboring districts and municipalities charge the nonprofits for use of such facilities.
Helen Anne Travis can be reached at htravis@sptimes.com or (813) 435-7312.
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