Carroll County Commissioners Propose Budget Cuts in Education to Pay for Property Tax Decrease

Any plan by the Board of County Commissioners to cut education funding to pay for a reduction in property taxes would mean cutting teacher positions, staff jobs and kindergarten assistant time because “we have nowhere else to cut,” Schools Superintendent Steve Guthrie said Friday.

In an open work session Thursday, the board proposed decreasing the county's property tax rate from $1.048 to $1.023, a 2.5-cent cut. That amount would lower county revenue approximately $5 million to $349.3 million in FY12.To make up for the revenue loss, the commissioners proposed decreasing funding to the Board of Education by close to $1.9 million.

“The property tax decrease was forecast early on, even during the campaign," Guthrie said Friday in response to the proposal. "My concern, of course, is how that would connect to the public school system.”

In FY11, the Board of County Commissioners contributed $164.9 million to the Board of Educationoperating budget. It is proposing that in FY12 the contribution be lowered to $163 million. The proposed $1.9 million reduction will be on top of a $3 million reduction for which the board already had to account in the FY12 budget due to increasing costs and decreasing state revenue.

“This (proposed cuts) translates to people,” Guthrie said. “There is nowhere else to go from here. After three years of cuts, we have nowhere else to cut.”

In a February Board of Education meeting, Guthrie explained that in the past three years, the board has had to reduce its budget by $12.5 million. He said the breakdown of cuts over the past three years meant 70 positions eliminated (39 teachers, 26 central office staff, five assistant principal), after-school Community Learning Centers eliminated and employee salaries frozen.

At the February board meeting, Guthrie offered two “doomsday” scenarios to account for additional cuts that might come from the county or state.

If the commissioners decide to move forward with less funding for the Board of Education, then the doomsday scenario will affect the jobs of additional central office staff, five teacher positions and kindergarten assistant time, he said. The Utility Stabilization Fund would also have to be reduced. In addition, there may be cuts to clerical positions system-wide, plant operator positions and instructional assistant time.

Guthrie pointed out that proposed cuts could have been worse. According to the Carroll County Times, Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier, R-District 1, suggested that the board fund schools at the minimum maintenance of effort, which would free up enough money to increase the property tax reduction amount. Maintenance of Effort is a law requiring counties to provide schools with funding per pupil at a level no less than the prior year.

The article reported that Haven Shoemaker, R-District 2, vehemently opposed minimally funding the schools, citing the strong test scores of Carroll County students. Shoemaker said tinkering too much with the schools budget can have a negative effect on the school system.

“In May, we will have the board of education meeting and trim where we need to,” said Guthrie. “ I’ll be working with budget and finance people, going through everything with a fine tooth comb to make adjustments.”

Guthrie said there will be opportunities for residents to speak out on the budget. Dates and times for public commission meetings have not been set yet.

Guthrie said he appreciates that the commissioners have conducted their discussions in a public setting and that they have been open in their dealings with him on the budget.

“I understand they have a job to do, but I will certainly be advocating for education in Carroll County,” Guthrie said.