New Hanover Commissioners Warn School System of Dire Financial Straits

March 22, 2010

New Hanover County commissioners have asked the New Hanover County schools to prepare for a worst-case scenario for school year 2010-11 by cutting an additional $2 million from the district’s budget.

That’s in addition to $5.4 million in cuts school administrators previously proposed, for a grand total of $7.4 million in possible cuts.

Schools Superintendent Al Lerch said the cuts could affect teaching assistants, programs for at-risk students, nursing services, arts programs and the diversity of AP class offerings.

The request was announced Friday afternoon in a news conference with Lerch.

“When you think that 85 percent of our budget is personnel, we’re beginning to talk about potential layoffs of about 100 people,” he added. “If you look at our school nurses program, which the county funds for about $1.8 million, for instance. That is a real service when you think of this year with the spread of H1N1, and that service could be one that might be taken away.”

But Lerch cautioned that this is only a proposal until the school board makes its final budget decisions in May. And that’s before the schools have to adjust to any cuts the state legislature might make in its budget session this summer.