Schools weigh what to give up

The board wants classrooms untouched despite a third year of budget restraints, but one proposal cuts the days spent in class.

By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 27, 2003

TAMPA -- As School Board members began the painful process of identifying $33-million in potential budget cuts Wednesday, they kept repeating the same edict: Leave the classroom alone.

"They expect everything to be looked at before the classroom is touched," superintendent Earl Lennard said after the three-hour, sometimes tense budget meeting.

District administrators laid out a gloomy financial picture for the coming year, the third consecutive year in which the system has faced cuts.

Board members reacted with a little anger and a lot of frustration.

They already have heard from employees who fear potential job cuts, which administrators have recommended for some classroom aides, assistant principals, counselors and librarians.

Carolyn Bricklemyer, who called the budgeting process preliminary, blamed Gov. Jeb Bush.

"You say you're an education governor," she said. "Well, show it."

One board member asked that a committee of parents and community members be formed to help uncover places to cut, and proposed a list of controversial cost-saving measures for consideration.

Candy Olson suggested the board charge for driver's education classes, trim district-level employees, begin a four-day workweek in the summer and cut a few electives at some schools.

"We don't need to have those little teeny classes at every school," she said.

Olson said the district should also consider whether it will need magnet schools with the new controlled choice assignment plan beginning in 2004, and whether it should shorten the school calendar from 184 days to the state minimum of 180 days.

Lennard pushed for the additional four days, which were added in fall 2000, to give children more time in the classroom because of state testing.

"Maybe we can't afford to do that any more," Olson said.

Hillsborough is receiving 7.7 percent more money from the state for the next school year, but officials say it's not enough to cover increased expenses.

Based on the governor's proposed budget, Hillsborough will get a total of $985-million, but the additional funding will be more than eaten up by increased health insurance costs, the opening of eight new schools and 6,000 new students.

"This is a budget that hurts," Lennard said.

Board member Jennifer Faliero encouraged her colleagues to work within the current budget projections coming from the governor's office. "We're going to be out of the ballgame unless we start playing on their side of the fence," she said.

Several board members said they disagree with current administrative recommendations to reduce the number of kindergarten teacher aides, eliminate assistant principals at smaller schools and increase some class sizes so that physical education and music teachers would meet with two classes at a time instead of one.

"I think they're backward," Olson said. "We need to look at the district level first."

Board Chairwoman Carol Kurdell, hoping to avoid layoffs, asked administrators to reassure employees despite the pending fiscal problems.

"We are left with not many options this year," Kurdell said.

Yvonne Lyons, director of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Union, said the current budget picture doesn't look good for employee raises, which district officials estimate could cost an additional $18-million.

Still, Lyons said she's not going to get too worried this early in the budget process. "I think it's probably a more dire picture than what we'll eventually look at," she said. "I guess maybe I'm in denial."

-- Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or melanie@sptimes.com .

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