The Prince William County School Board has passed a resolution asking the Board of County Supervisors to let them use federal Education Jobs Fund money to hire teachers in the current school year.
This year, 807 more students than were projected enrolled in county schools. That means the school division will need more teachers and other resources for the those students, school officials said. The cost of the 807 students is estimated at about $8.7 million for the school year, according to school division documents.
Prince William County Public Schools has been allocated about $17 million through the Federal Education Jobs Fund Program, but the school division can’t use that money unless the county approves it.
The School Board voted 7 to 1 Wednesday to ask the Board of County Supervisors to allocate $5.8 million of the federal money to the school division in the current school year to help pay the costs for the additional students who enrolled. The other $2.9 million needed would come from state funding.
Neabsco District representative Lisa Bell cast the dissenting vote.
The School Board’s resolution also proposes discussing what to do with the remaining $11.2 million in federal money during its budget process for fiscal 2012.
In August, the Board of County Supervisors passed a resolution stating that they would not address the federal education jobs fund money until the fiscal 2012 budget process.
The School Board is hoping they will change their mind.
If the county does not approve the school division’s request to use the federal money, the School Board will have to use money from their general reserve to fund the additional students.
Right now, the school division has about $7.5 million in the general reserve fund. If the school division used that money to fund the additional students, they would be left with less than $2 million.
“In that case, if there’s any kind of crisis or issue later in the year, we would have bigger problems,” said David Cline, Associate Superintendent for Finance and Support services.
Superintendent Steven L. Walts and his staff met with County Executive Melissa Peacor and her staff last week to discuss the School Board request.
“That was a very, very positive meeting,” Walts said. “We had a very positive feeling about the county executive and her staff being able to support this recommendation. We left feeling that this would get the support of the Board of Supervisors.”
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-530-3908.
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