Wake school board adopts budget; passes new schedule

The operating budget, including $115,000 in additional cuts, passed with a 6-to-2 vote. The board will reduce school bus purchases from 17 to 13, postpone hiring for a new school on Forestville Road in northeast Wake County and remove board member fee increases.

Superintendent Del Burns also agreed not to take his contracted 3-percent salary increase – about $8,100 – to help with the budget. Burns is paid around $280,000 yearly.

"In this time of uncertainty, certainly I need to do, as we all do, our part and it is important to me to make that decision," Burns said.

Burns' budget proposal for the 2009-10 school year includes no increase in county funds from the $316 million provided this school year. However, the district will add three new schools and 2,300 more students.

The board budget now goes to the Board of Commissioners who will approve a county budget and establish the county tax rate for 2009-10 that will include the school system operating budget. But commissioners might offer less money to the school system due to a projected budget shortfall of at least $23 million.

Board members are considering various money-saving measures, including increasing class sizes to reduce the number of teachers needed, eliminating some high school electives and ordering employees to do away with personal heaters, fans and coffee makers to cut electricity costs.

The school district also plans to keep in place a hiring freeze on administrative positions, and Burns has made last year's $11 million in state and local cuts permanent.

No decision on those jobs will be made "until we know exactly where we stand with our state funding, our county funding, and with our federal funding,” board member Beverly Clark said.

Some parents with children at Leesville Middle School told board members reversing a decision to convert from a traditional calendar to a year-round schedule could save $250,000.

"This savings could prevent other possible cuts, such as staff positions or programs for at-risk children,” parent Eric Blau said.

However, board member Patti Head said those savings may be inflated and that the change is necessary.

"The campus as a whole is overcrowded. By going to a year-round calendar at the middle school, we can accommodate more students,” Head said.

The school board also approved a new 2009-10 school schedule on Tuesday that adds 10 minutes to the school day and provides one hour early dismissal on Wednesdays. On six of those Wednesdays, school will release 2.5 hours early.

The change aims to give teachers more instructional time to help improve academic performance.

High schools that start at 7:25 a.m. would end 10 minutes later at 2:25 p.m. Schools that start at 8:05 a.m. would begin 10 minutes earlier at 7:55 a.m.