School board told to reconsider budget, make cuts

By Gary Nelson / gnelson@crossville-chronicle.com

June 25, 2009 06:57 pm

— The Cumberland County Board of Education came back with it's budget to present to the county budget committee Wednesday evening; however, the committee told the BOE they would need to cut more from its budget.
"We have a $724,000 shortfall," Cumberland County Director of Schools Aarona VanWinkle said.
VanWinkle also told the committee the BOE took out the Pleasant Hill Elementary School renovation from the budget and would like it treated as a capital project.
"We'd like to hear something from the Schools and Education Committee and get a recommendation with them," 9th District Commissioner and Budget Committee Chairman Carmin Lynch said.
"We'll get a meeting with them scheduled right away," VanWinkle said.
"Right now we are looking at a $1.5 million shortfall on the general fund," Lynch said.
"I make a motion to reject this now," 7th District Commissioner Mike Harvel said.
Fifth District Commissioner Jack Davis supported Harvel's motion and it was unanimously approved.
"Do you have any idea where the cuts will be?" 2nd District Commissioner Nancy Hyder asked.
"We'll have to look at instruction and text books and teacher line items. Instruction is too close ... We'll just have to nickel and dime the whole budget. It will affect the education in Cumberland County. It hurts our students in the long run. We're just barely above meeting a basic education program," VanWinkle said.
"We're thinking you might have a bigger fund balance coming in then you're expecting," Lynch said.
"We're hoping for that, too. But it won't be $724,000 worth. We held off on some capital projects and we'll just have to make some more serious cuts," VanWinkle said. "We did get additional money from the state and property tax, but we can't count on that. We can't budget for that because we just don't know."
Hyder said, "Those textbooks are so expensive. Especially in grades three to 12."
"We may be able to save a little there," VanWinkle said. "Some of those books are $120-$140 a piece."
The commissioners on the committee then unanimously agreed to send the BOE back giving them a 2-cent increase in revenue from debt service and the state growth money.