No raises for Prince William County school employees in proposed budget

It looks as though tough financial times will continue for county schools employees.

Prince William County Superintendent Steven L. Walts presented his proposed 2013 budget to the School Board Wednesday night, and once again, the division’s workers will likely have to go without a pay raise.

“It has been said that the federal budget should reflect the values and priorities of our nation and its people,” Walts opened the presentation, “and our school division’s budget should do the same for our Prince William County community.”

David S. Cline, Associate Superintendent for Finance and Support Services, outlined how the school system will spend more than $861 million next year while navigating through a still-recovering economy.

While there likely won’t be any raises for the division’s employees, there are also currently no plans to reduce staff at any level.

“In the county,” Cline said, “assessments are slowly increasing and our foreclosure rate has been moderately decreasing, indicating that in all likelihood we’ll be increasing revenues on the county side.”

Despite that outlook, John Wallingford, Director of Financial Services for the school division, informed the School Board in January that it may have to do without nearly $11 million in state funds thanks to a budget reduction proposed by Gov. Robert McDonnell.

The governor proposed cutting $30 million of “Cost of Competing Adjustment” funds that go to Northern Virginia school districts to help offset higher labor costs in the region compared to the rest of the state. Prince William will absorb about one-third of that reduction, as will the much larger Fairfax County system, with the remaining third spread across several of the area’s other districts.

During his 30-minute presentation Wednesday, Cline said the proposed budget, as it currently stands, “assumes [the] restoration of the $10.8 million cut.”

One of the largest factors in determining the budget this year, Cline said, was the anticipated addition of 2,767 students next year, pushing the division’s enrollment to 83,837. The district’s enrollment has grown by 15.5 percent over the past five years, he added.

The budget’s Capital Improvements Program includes funding to support the sale of bonds for additions to nine schools as well as the construction of a new K-8 school in Nokesville. There are also plans to continue renovations at Potomac High School and Pattie Elementary School.

One of the few positives the proposed budget contained was that employees will not suffer any increase in their costs for health insurance. The change across the country is expected to be a 10 percent increase, Cline said.

The School Board did not ask any questions about the proposal since it was the body’s first look at the budget.

A public meeting on the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Kelly Leadership Center’s meeting room.

After that, the School Board will conduct budget work sessions following regularly scheduled public meetings on Feb. 15, as well as March 7 and 14.

The School Board is scheduled to vote on the superintendent’s budget on March 21. Once approved, Walts will present the budget to the county Board of Supervisors at the end of March.

The superintendent’s entire budget can be viewed at pwcs.edu.

Staff writer Joe Conroy can be reached at 703-530-3912.