The Williamsburg-James City County School Board will vote whether to adopt the 2013-14 budget at its meeting tonight.
Superintendent Steve Constantino proposed an operating budget of $115.8 million on Feb. 19. The budget is $3.3 million above the current year’s budget; the division will seek the additional funding from the city of Williamsburg and James City County. If approved, the funding partners would split the additional request according to a formula adopted last year, with the city paying $516,766 and the county paying $2.8 million.
The budget includes an average 3 percent salary increase for all employees. In addition, the budget allocates a 1.14 percent base pay increase to offset an additional 1 percent employee contribution to the Virginia Retirement System.
WJCC’s expenses are expected to go up $4.5 million. The bulk of the cost is $2.4 million for the proposed salary increases, but the division’s health insurance costs are also going up by $1.2 million. More funding is also proposed to add teachers, increase special education funding, pay the local share for New Horizons Regional Educational Center, add a new technology position and reinstate after-school remediation programs.
When his budget was initially released, Constantino recommended $1.2 million in cuts, including the Adult Education and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program and the Adult Education General Educational Development (GED) program, cutting three full-time positions. His reductions also include four special education teachers (based on analysis of the need), five full-time special education teacher assistants, and two in-school suspension aides from Matthew Whaley and James River elementary schools.
In subsequent meetings, however, community concerns about the closure of the adult GED program prompted a revised proposal. The alternative plan would cut back the amount of adult education classes offered and still eliminate a full-time coordinator position, but would allow the program to continue. Two full-time teachers would share teaching, testing and coordination duties. Part-time staff members would also be eliminated. Between savings in salaries, benefits, travel and other miscellaneous expenses, the new proposal would reduce the program by $87,496. The division received $43,000 of federal money in 2013 to support the program.
The restructured program would fund five part-time instructors to teach five classes combining adult basic education, GED and English as a Second Language (ESOL) coursework. Four of the combined classes would be delivered face-to-face, while a fifth would be offered as a virtual learning course. Each class could accommodate up to 30 adult learners; the division would need to serve 140 learners to qualify for grant funding.
The School Board supports the proposal to close the nursing program, which is too costly to be self-sufficient without seeking outside funding and/or raising tuition. The board advised the administration to explore ways to offer financial assistance or reimbursement to first-year students who are currently enrolled.
Read the full budget proposal here. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. today in the Stryker Building.
