Several hundred part-time teachers will not be rehired for next year, but even that reduction is a drop in the bucket when compared with the Fulton County School System's budget shortfall.
One month before a proposed budget for FY2010 is finalized by Fulton schools, the picture of cuts and reductions is becoming clearer as the system tries to close a $40 million gap in revenue and spending.
And for the first time, the "f-word," as in "furloughs" for teachers and staff, was brought up for consideration.
School Superintendent Cindy Loe provided the Fulton School Board with an overview of current reductions during the February board meeting, warning these initial actions are just the start of more cuts planned over the next several weeks.
The report began with the news that 466 part-time teachers would not be issued contracts for the next school year.
The decision will not make a significant dent in the budget shortfall, since the part-time employees make up less than 1 percent of the total work force of 12,800 employees. But the decision means the system may be able to hang on to its current full-time staff, who must receive contracts by April 15 for next year. FY2010 begins July 1, but the school system will likely have a draft budget finalized by the end of March.
A spokesperson for Fulton Schools said part-time employees begin each year with the understanding their job may not be guaranteed beyond the current school year, so the decision should not be completely unexpected by those affected.
"Part-time contracts are not automatically renewed [and] the contract contains verbiage that there is no guarantee of continued employment beyond the current contract period," said Susan Hale, communications manager for Fulton Schools.
She added some openings may be available for part-time staff next year, but that will not be known until all positions are first filled with full-time staff.
With larger class sizes in place for next year, and fewer than 2,000 new students expected to enroll, the number of teachers needed at schools will likely go down. These "surplussed" teachers will then be moved to fill teaching needs throughout the school system, primarily at one of the six new schools scheduled to open in August.
Loe said the decision to announce part-time layoffs early in the budget process was made in February so that staff members could make decisions about their future with as much time as possible.
The superintendent said the school system is making the assumption that local revenues will be the same as last year ($536.7 million.) Generally, revenues rise each year as property values increase and new construction brings in cash. So no rise in revenue actually translates to a decrease as schools require more funding each year to accommodate new students.
In addition, the state is facing a 2.2 billion dollar deficit – with rumors it will rise to $3 billion – meaning a cut in state funding is inevitable. Last year Fulton Schools received $303 million from the state, and Loe anticipates at least a 3 percent cut for FY2010.
Labels: 466, budget shortfall, fulton county school system, fulton schools, part-time teachers
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Brian Vanderhoff @ 5:14 PM
