First Look at Devastating Year for Portsmouth School Budget
January 21, 2010
The public will have its first shot at the school district’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget tonight at Little Harbour Elementary School.
In the wake of City Council members asking department heads to look at developing a 2011 budget that would be 4 percent below the current budget, the School Board is bracing itself for budget impacts that could affect staffing, class size and much more.
School Board Chairman Mitch Shuldman said Wednesday the board is approaching this year’s budget on two levels.
"The School Board needs to know in all good faith, what it would cost us to stay where we are and maintain exactly the same education we have today," said Shuldman.
Employee costs such as health care and retirement, coupled with contracts and cost-of-living adjustments, expected to hit the board this year will ultimately mean a $2.6 million or 7 percent increase in the budget. Shuldman said when you add that to the council’s request at coming in 4 percent below the current budget, the result is essentially close to a 10 percent decrease i n the overall budget.
Having gone over possible scenarios of what that budget might look like, Shuldman said the school district may be forced to lay off 50 teachers, which would also create an increase in class size.
"We were presented with what a scenario might look like if we were to sort of spread the pain around the district," he said.
For example, Shuldman said between 15 and 16 teachers could be cut in the city’s elementary school, nine from the Portsmouth Middle School and 10 teachers from Portsmouth High School.
An important conversation to have with the city, according to Shuldman, is the possibility of cost savings mergers such as sharing the cost of building maintenance for city schools. Shuldman said efforts like those are how the board hopes to save money during the budget process.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Little Harbour Elementary School conference room at Central Office.
The agenda includes the public hearing, and presentation from the elementary school principals on their budgets and the potential impact a 4 percent cut could have.