Prince William schools superintendent presents bleak budget picture

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA. -- “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”

Those words first spoken by English historian Thomas Fuller were echoed by Prince William schools Superintendent Steven L. Walts in his grim fiscal 2011 budget presentation to the school board Wednesday evening.

To remedy the expected budget shortfall of nearly $80 million, Walts proposed, among other cuts, eliminating more than 700 jobs, terminating all school bus routes to specialty schools and delaying construction and renovation projects.

Walts is also proposing increasing parking fees for high school students, charging athletic participation fees at the middle and high school levels and reducing central office budgets by 10 percent.

“The only comment I can make is ‘Wow,’” said board member Grant Lattin-Occoquan after hearing the budget presentation. “When you have more than $79 million in cuts and at the same time have 3,000 new students, it’s difficult to comprehend what needs to be done.”

“Times are tough but our focus will be on giving the best education we can possible give,” said vice-chairman Gilbert A. Trenum Jr.-Nokesville.

If approved by the school board in its final budget, fees would be $50 for middle school sports, $100 for high school sports, $75 per test for IB/AP/Cambridge tests and an increase from $100 to $150 in student parking fees.

The elimination of the bus routes means that all students using buses to schools out of their district for speciality programs would need to either find alternate modes of transportation to that school or go to their base school. Bus routes for Thomas Jefferson School for Science & Technology and Pennington and Porter Traditional schools would remain.

According to associate superintendent for finance and support services David Cline, the 32 buses previously used for specialty schools will now handle the surge in the regular student population, which is expected to reach more than 78,000 students by next fall.

Along with the potential elimination of hundreds of jobs, Walts’ budget also doesn’t include any pay raises. Last year, the schools used one-time stimulus money for a 2.9 percent salary bump for all employees.

The schools hope to stave off as many job cuts as possible through employees’ retirement. As an incentive, the schools’ Retirement Opportunity Program would allow employees to retire before turning 55, if they meet all eligibility requirements and are eligible for Virginia Retirement System retirement.

The proposed budget takes into account an expected $20 million shortfall due to the proposed freezing of the composite index by former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The index is a formula that determines the ability of localities to pay for education, and grants state funding based on that determination.

Prince William’s index dropped more than 4 percentage points, thanks in part to a huge decrease in property values and, consequently, potentially less money for both the county and the schools.
Approximately 57 percent of the general fund revenue from the county goes to the schools.

Prince William Education Association president Bonnie Klakowicz, who was in attendance Wednesday, expected a doom-and-gloom scenario but hopes that citizens will bend the ears of their local representatives in the General Assembly in an effort to unfreeze the composite index. Klakowicz has already met with several local reps in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate to express the PWEA’s dissatisfaction with Kaine’s proposal.

A public hearing regarding the budget will be Monday at Stonewall Jackson High School at 6 p.m. Residents have until noon the day of the hearing to sign up in advance by calling or e-mailing the clerk to the school board at 703-791-8709 or dentaj@pwcs.edu.

Residents may also sign up at the door from 5 to 5:55 p.m. Residents must sign up by this deadline in order to speak.

The board will vote on the budget on March 17. The state budget is also expected to be approved in March.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.