Parents voice budget worries

The gymnasium of Mary Scroggs Elementary School filled to capacity Thursday as parents and school staff gathered to tell the city school board their concerns about the future of the district’s classrooms.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education was discussing again its funding outlook for fiscal year 2005-06, this time focusing on 19 potential ways the district might avoid a projected shortfall of $2.3 million.

Cutting the number of teacher assistants, nixing transportation to middle school after-school programs, and eliminating student resource officer positions in three middle schools are a few of the contingency options created in case the district does not receive all of its requested funds.

Parents and staff in attendance Thursday expressed concern with what those options might do to overall district operations.

Nancy Taylor, a teacher assistant at McDougle Elementary School, explained to the board her daily tasks and expressed opposition to the proposal to cut some of those positions.

“Is this really the thanks we are going to get from this school board and Lincoln Center?” she asked. “I hope not.”

As each person took a turn to speak, others applauded and cheered to show their support.

Some also held signs reading “Children First” and “Everyone suffers from budget cuts,” and a petition opposing cuts in classroom aides and teachers for exceptional children circulated the room.

Chapel Hill High School junior Tamar Ariel noted the importance of student resource officers to schools.

Chapel Hill High went into lockdown Thursday after a fight during the school’s Spring Fever program.

But Ariel said she was not worried during the altercation because of the school’s resource officers.

“I wasn’t at all (scared) because I felt very secure,” she said.

After the meeting, as the board held its own budget discussions, Superintendent Neil Pedersen pointed out that the board, like those that spoke at the hearing, does not want to see any of the proposed cuts.

“The list of potential reductions is something that neither I or you is recommending,” he told board members.

The projected shortage stems primarily from the district’s request for a more than $200 increase in per-pupil funding this year.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners in the past has given an average of a $60 per-pupil increase, but because projected enrollment numbers for next school year are down, the school board has hiked that request to $270 for a total of roughly $2.9 million.

Enrollment for next year has decreased about 123 from this year, according to a presentation from Ruby Pittman, the district’s director of budget and planning.

Also of concern for the school system are cuts at the state level.

School officials are estimating $575,000 in discretionary cuts from the state, and a possible 4 percent reduction in the state’s education budget could lead to a $1.8 million reduction for the district if the cut is allocated evenly across all school systems.

“We’re very hopeful that none of that is realized,” Pittman said.

The city school board will continue budget talks during an information session at 7 p.m. tonight at East Chapel Hill High School.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.