School budget in 'a dire situation'

Calling next school year's budget "a fairly gloomy picture," Mooresville Graded School District Supt. Mark Edwards said this week that budget cuts for 2010-11 are looming and could harm the quality of education.

"I don't want to convey gloom and doom, but I also feel a responsibility to tell the board and our community that we are in a dire situation," Edwards said during Tuesday night's monthly board of education meeting.

"It's a picture that will require an adjustment of all services. It will require cuts at every level."

With funding cuts anticipated at the state and county levels, Edwards said it's too early to detail how the budget will look or whether layoffs will be necessary.

"We are looking at some options internally for some cuts we may have to make," Edwards said on Wednesday. "We don't want to detail it because we don't want to say, 'We'll cut these positions,' and then that doesn't happen."

Although the current budget is little more than a skeleton outline, the MGSD has been asked to prepare for a potential 3 percent cut in funding from Iredell County and a 3, 5 or 7 percent cut at the state level, the superintendent noted.

He mentioned that the county's funding comprises 19 percent of the MGSD budget while the state makes up more than 60 percent of district funding.

These cuts follow similar percentage cuts the MGSD budget experienced prior to the start of the current school year, which resulted in a reduction of 43 positions – including several teacher assistants.

"We're already operating on a barebones budget. Now we turn around and say, 'Let's cut it some more,' and we're cutting into the bone," said Edwards.

MGSD officials are working with preliminary numbers and estimates at the moment, he added, trying to discover areas within the district that could be cut if necessary in order to protect jobs, which remain a high priority.

"We're trying to preserve the quality of education for students, and the way we do that is preserving teacher jobs," he said.

Edwards noted that it could be June before the MGSD and other districts have enough state-budget information to make specific cuts.

In the mean time, the superintendent said the district will aggressively seek grants – though he mentioned every school district is doing the same, making competition heavy – and look at other areas of financial support that could preserve jobs, services and the overall quality of education in the MGSD.

Additionally, district officials will look at specific budget items that may require very little funding in the 2010-11 school year, such as furniture and equipment for schools. Edwards noted that this particular area used to have upward of $20,000 budgeted per school.

However, as monetary constraints emerged, the district has to "cut it back to bare essentials" by budgeting $20,000 districtwide for needs that arise.

Edwards said the MGSD is also turning to the Mooresville Foundation for Excellence in Education, a non-profit organization committed to raising money for educational tools and activities here.

He said the Foundation has been a great help to the district, contributing a large portion of funding toward staff development -- an area that has received very little budgeted money recently.

The district also has more than half of its stimulus funds remaining, he added. Anticipating budgetary concerns, Edwards said officials earmarked that portion of their stimulus dollars for use in the 2010-11 school year. However, that amount will do little to aid the large hole expected.

"That will not fill the hole of a 3 percent cut from the state and a 3 percent cut from the county, but it will help," he said. "Without that, we would be in a crisis situation."

With optimism that the legislature will channel more funds to education, Edwards said, "We are challenged and we are hoping and praying the General Assembly will put children first, will put education and our children as a top priority."

He said the MGSD will reach out to elected leaders in the hope of garnering support. Edwards said he hopes parents might do the same.

"The school board, we have to work within the amounts we're allotted," he said.

"What I do hope is that citizens who want to voice their concerns, opinions or recommendations would voice them to our elected leaders at the state level, county level, and ask them to again prioritize public education."

The community is also invited to the next board of education meeting – April 13 at 7 p.m. at Mooresville Town Hall – for a public hearing on the budget. A public comment session will allow people to share their concerns and opinions about the district's expenditures.