Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to discuss proposed budget plans

With a Republican-controlled N.C. General Assembly looking to lower the deficit, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools officials will brace for future cuts as they review a proposed budget tonight.

Superintendent Neil Pedersen’s recommended budget of almost $60 million doesn’t call for big reductions in teachers or staff, but it does prioritize possible cuts should the state budget prove to be bleak.

Pedersen’s budget recommends appropriating 40 percent of the district’s “rainy day fund” to offset potential state-level reductions, which would cover the cuts outlined by Gov. Bev Perdue.

“We have been very fiscally responsible and have under-spent when possible and have accumulated some fund balance that will act as a bit of a cushion when we see what we’re facing,” said district spokeswoman Stephanie Knott.

Pedersen’s proposal also asks the board of education to approve a prioritized list of possible cuts — totaling about $3.7 million and eliminating 62 positions — to be reviewed after the state budget is finalized.

The state legislature has not released its recommended budget, but Knott said she expects the legislature to call for greater reductions than those outlined in the proposal submitted by Perdue.

Perdue’s budget would reduce the district’s funding by about $2 million if adopted.

“Generally the governor’s budget is the most favorable to education because she is a former educator and supports schools,” Knott said.

School board member Annetta Streater said the board is prepared to address any future difficulties.

“It’s our challenge as a board and as school advocates to keep the message at the forefront that it’s critical that we provide quality education,” she said.

Pedersen’s recommended budget allows current services to be maintained to be despite increased costs.

Ruby Pittman, the district’s executive finance director, said the proposed budget reduces $1.2 million. She said the board will be asked to approve redirecting some general funds for exceptional children teachers, which were funded through federal stimulus money.

The district will ask the Orange County Board of Commissioners for the same amount of funding it received last year, which would increase the level of per-pupil spending due to projected decreased enrollment.

Streater said she is cautiously optimistic that the 2012-13 budget won’t be as difficult.

“The economy is starting to turn around, but its like a cruise ship,” she said. “It can’t turn on a dime.”

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