Pons braces School Board for lean budget year

By TaMaryn Waters
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Principals will run their schools with fewer people, an academic academy will be closed and reading coaches will be eliminated next year under a budget-cutting plan offered by School Superintendent Jackie Pons.

Pons outlined his plan to cut $12 million from the district´s budget during a meeting Wednesday with the Tallahassee Democrat. He will seek School Board approval of the 15 items identified during the May 13 meeting.

Pons is recommending closing the Academy of Academics and Technology and reducing the number of teachers at the Ghazvini Learning Center. He is not recommending closing or consolidating Nims and Belle Vue middle schools.

“Belle Vue and Nims will be left open,” Pons said. As of now, he said he anticipates board members will support that.

He said cutting $12 million means that some people will lose their jobs.

“I think this budget will create some stress for everyone,” Pons said. Teachers will have to take on additional duties once handled by others.

He said nearly 50 district jobs will be cut or frozen. Some of those employees will return to work at schools.

Merrill Wimberley, chief financial officer for Leon County Schools, said the state is cutting $5.1 million from the district. Combined with the $7.5 million in expenses the district can´t avoid, that figure reaches $12 million. That doesn´t include $6 million that was cut earlier this school year.

“I´m tired of the Legislature reciting to me what´s going on with the economy,” said Pons, who has criticized legislators for previously saying that Florida´s education system will be immune.

“All of a sudden, being held harmless means being hit with an $18 million cut ... It was their job to find the revenue.”

Ultimately, it means cutting 4 percent of the district´s $549 million budget, Wimberley said.

Pons said the decision to close the Academy of Academics and Technology was because most of its services, such as offering GED classes, are provided at high schools.

This means 82 students will return to their home-zoned schools, Principal Shelly Bell said. The school´s Teenage Parent Program will remain at Lively Technical Center.

School Board chairman Dee Crumpler said parents and community leaders are needed more than ever to help educate Leon County students.

“People can no longer drop off their kids and say that´s that,” Crumpler said.