Informal meetings between members of the York County School Board and the York County Board of Supervisors have brought on talks about unifying the two boards.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Shepperd told his fellow board members at the annual retreat Friday he and Vice Chairman George Hrichak met with School Board Chairman Mark Medford, School Board Vice Chairman Robert George, Interim County Administrator Mark Carter and YCSD Superintendent Victor Shandor to discuss the idea of creating a common goal to dissipate some of the distress between the two boards.
Each fiscal year — which runs from July 1 to June 30 — the York County School Board presents a proposed budget to the Board of Supervisors for funding of the school division.
“It’s a very difficult thing to do, actually,” Shepperd said, explaining he wanted to erase the image of division between the two boards.
In a phone interview with WYDaily, Medford said he felt now was a crucial time to emphasize working collaboratively with the supervisors, especially as discussions of compensation arise during the budget process.
“This was a good time to find some common ground,” he said, adding compensation was “very, very important” to the school board.
“It always appears — and I agreed with Mark [Medford] — us versus them and vice versa,” Shepperd said at the retreat Friday.
“I like the idea,” Supervisor Sheila Noll said. “I think we do have a common goal, which is to provide the best education we can for our students. That’s both the goals of the schools and the goal of the Board of Supervisors.”
She said the problem lies in how the supervisors choose to fund the schools and organize the priorities each year.
“You’re always going to run into that wall,” Noll said.
Last year, the school board presented a budget that included $2 million more than the supervisors allocated.
“We get the blame for not supplying [the school board] with all the money they want,” said Supervisor Don Wiggins, who acknowledged there is a tension between the two boards and cited a 2014 public hearing in which teachers rallied for pay raises.
Shepperd urged the other supervisors to meet with their respective district school board representatives, adding he and Medford planned to meet once a month during the budget cycle.
“Be careful with this business,” said Supervisor Walt Zaremba, explaining the individual meetings might be received skeptically. “You may be thinking one thing, but we’re getting the screened version of what occurred the other night.”
He predicted one of the school board’s three top priorities, which will be presented at a joint meeting with the supervisors Tuesday, would be increased compensation for teachers.
“We’d like to think compensation is on the top [priority list] of ours as well,” Zaremba said.
The School Board and the Board of Supervisors have officially met once, in early December, for a preliminary discussion on the budget priorities.
The two boards will meet again in York Hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday for a joint work session.
Related Coverage:
- Few Residents Turn Out for First York County Schools Budget Hearing
- Governor’s Budget Recommendations Would Net YCSD $1.2 Million More
- McAuliffe’s Budget Recommendations Leave Education Untouched
- York Schools’ Financial Chief Warns of Potential Funding Cuts
- York Supervisors, School Board Talk County Growth at Joint Budget Meeting
- YCSD Capital Plan Includes $30 Million for New Elementary School
- York Supes Approve Budget; Taxes Remain Level to Keep YCSD Short About $2 Million
- YCSD Employees, Parents Rally for Higher Taxes at York County Budget Hearing
- York School Board to Supervisors: Fund Our ‘Needs-Based’ Budget
- York Superintendent’s Proposed Budget Asks County for 5.8 Percent Funding Increase
Correction: A previous version of this story had an incorrect time listed for the joint work session. The Board of Supervisors and the School Board will meet at 6 p.m.
