http://66.225.205.104/SO20090624.mp3
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School officials last night presented the school board with up to $33 million in cuts from an already reduced budget plan. Classroom positions are at the very end of the list of items to remove. WFAE's Simone Oredain has more: The school board won't officially approve the additional cuts until after the state passes its budget. That's supposed to happen at the end of the month. But with Democrats in the General Assembly and the governor still haggling over tax hikes, CMS officials aren't holding their breath. Superintendent Peter Gorman reminded the board how long and drawn out it can be. "This is still in a great deal of discussion. There's still going to be movement. With this, we are not recommending to the board that we go and immediately institute other layoffs for this." CMS has already let go of close to 1,300 employees- mostly classroom workers to help make up for an $86.5 million shortfall. But now district officials say in a worst-case scenario, that hole could grow to $120 million. In anticipation, the district created two lists. The first totals $13 million in cuts including a big-ticket pre-kindergarten program that will instead be fully funded with federal stimulus money. It also eliminates field trips and 38 non-classroom positions. On this first list, more than $1 million is trimmed from transportation. This means about 340 students whose magnet programs or home schools have recently changed, won't have school bus service. Plus, 15 buses would be gone because Northwest School of the Arts will start its day two hours later and JT Williams Middle will open its doors at 8:00 instead of 9:00. The board approved these transportation cuts last night to give parents and staff notice as soon as possible. Board member Kaye McGarry said it wasn't enough. "There are districts around the country that charge for magnet transportation. Not that that would be ideal but certainly if its between having a teacher in a classroom and paying for transportation or whatever, I would much rather do that," said McGarry. The second list reduces an additional $20 million by cutting 199 teacher assistants. It also eliminates 97 teaching positions. But under this scenario, the teaching jobs can be restored with $4.7 million that the city owes the district in traffic fines. On the second list, CMS TV would be gone altogether and so would middle school sports. Back in the spring, some board members including Trent Merchant were adamant about keeping the sports program. He said, "I feel like Joe and I were the big, most vocal defenders of middle school sports. And I know I've said, you know what, I'd give that up now. And it seems to be a big ticket that could cover some other things." Middle school sports costs the district $1.2 million. The two lists combined would equal $33 million. The district is now crossing its fingers that a House proposed tax increase of $780 million sticks in the state budget. Gorman says an even bigger tax hike would really help. Still he had these words of caution for the board. "My recommendation would be plan on 33 and be hopeful it's less," he says. Sixty percent or about $700,000,000 of the proposed CMS budget comes from the state.