Schools To Cut $15 Million From 2008-09 Budget

By MARILYN BROWN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 25, 2008

TAMPA - Hillsborough schools will turn up their thermostats and won´t fill district positions including administrators or teachers on special assignment under the district´s initial cut of more than $15 million from next year´s budget.

Superintendent MaryEllen Elia vowed Thursday that no one will end up unemployed.

More than $5 million of that savings will come from not filling positions such as supervisors, directors, general directors and principals, or teachers on special assignment, Elia said. Some positions may be moved around, such as filling a school principal vacancy from district staff, she said.

Another $8.2 million would come from reducing division budgets by 20 percent; by delaying purchase of a school bus GPS system and by not upgrading software for the district´s Lawson centralized computer system.

In addition, most thermostats in all district buildings, including more than 200 schools, will be turned up to at least 76 degrees, starting this summer, saving at least $400,000.

Schools have a variety of heating and air conditioning systems and not all can be controlled from central locations.

Aging systems that don´t control humidity as well will be difficult to manage, said Cathy Valdes, the district´s chief facilities officer and “it could get very uncomfortable” if the temperatures are set too high.

Principals and three district energy monitors will work to enforce the program, Valdes said. Schools already get or lose money for their energy use.

An Unpleasant Picture

Florida´s financial outlook grows dimmer every day, sinking with the economy. State sales tax money funds most of Hillsborough´s $3 billion-plus annual school district budget. The school board is the county´s largest employer with more than 25,000 full, part-time and temporary employees.

Legislators continue to haggle over the state´s 2008-09 budget in Tallahassee, but the bottom line is that however bad it is, it will only get worse, school officials said.

“This year is tough - next year is going to be even worse,” school board member Susan Valdes said.

Figures are changing daily and firm numbers won´t be known until a final budget is approved by both the House and Senate, then signed by the governor within the next two weeks.

Proactive Planning

This school year, Hillsborough ended up with $25 million less from the state than it had budgeted. For 2008-09, it looks like all districts will get less money per student than they did in prior years. As of Thursday, legislators were looking at about $204 less per student statewide.

The only category in the general operating fund expected to increase is pay to teachers for class size reduction, said the district´s budget director, Gretchen Saunders. As of Thursday, the district was projected to receive $8.7 million more than the nearly $198.5 million it got for class size reduction in the current year.

Hillsborough has been in a stable financial position compared with some districts because it started paring costs early on, holding vacant positions open for months or not filling positions.

Elia also cut school nursing staff and required high school teachers to add an additional class period to their teaching load this school year.

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