York County Superintendent Eric Williams has proposed a fiscal year 2014 budget of $124.4 million, an increase of $3.1 million.
Williams’ proposed budget was posted to the division’s website Wednesday. He proposes the School Board request the additional $2.9 million from York County, bringing the total county contribution for operations to nearly $51 million. The division expects about $56.3 million in state funding, based on Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed budget; on Feb. 11, Chief Financial Officer Dennis Jarrett said the budgets in the House and Senate would give the division about $56.4 million.
The division’s new expenditures include $3.1 million in higher health care costs, due to an above-normal amount of claims. By March, a health care committee will have recommendations on how the division could alter its health care coverage to possibly save money, but the recommendations will come too late to be considered for the current budget cycle.
His proposal also trims about $2.5 million from the budget. The cuts, tied to an enrollment decline of 120 students, include five teachers, two paraeducators and materials, saving $299,000. In addition, Williams proposes cutting one warehouse position and three custodians, reducing the budget by $108,300.
The division also managed to save $1.2 million through attrition. In many cases, educators either retired or left the division and, when replaced by younger employees, the division saved money on salaries and benefits. The division will have to add two special education positions, for a total cost of $100,000. The positions are required due to an increasing special needs population.
The budget includes a 2 percent salary increase for staff, the first increase in five years. It will be offset by a state contribution of $565,000. It also includes $1.2 million for salary increases to offset a 4 percent employee contribution to the Virginia Retirement System.
Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring local employees to contribute 5 percent to their retirement plans, to be offset by matching salary increases from their employers. Localities could choose whether to offer the full 5 percent increase in one year, or stagger the increases over five years. The School Board opted to give a slightly more than 1 percent increase in 2013, but has said it’s important to give the remaining 4 percent to compete for new employees.
Williams presented a budget outlook for the Board of Supervisors at a joint work session. The supervisors didn’t say whether they will support providing additional funding for the school division. The county gave the school division $3.9 million in additional funding for fiscal year 2013, but only after both boards signed an agreement that pledged most unexpected state funding for schools would go to the county. The supervisors didn’t mention whether a similar agreement would be proposed this year.
A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at York Hall.
