Orange County Schools sees federal funding cut

The Orange County Schools district will once again dip into its reserve funds after losing millions in budget cuts this school year.

Federal funding for the district, including money from the U.S. Department of Education, was cut by 5.3 percent this year, according to a memo from the district.

“We did what we could within our means to lessen the deleterious impact of state cuts, understanding we could not possibly offset all the damage,” said Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs in an email.

The Orange County Board of Education is now having to draw from its reserve fund, which includes extra money saved in previous years.

The board appropriated $2.85 million of its reserves last year after facing large federal budget cuts.

The district will draw from this fund again to balance this year’s budget, said Donna Coffey, chairwoman of the board.

This year’s budget includes a $1.2 million appropriation from the fund.

Despite these cuts, the district avoided laying off any employees this year, she said.

Coffey said she is thankful the changes haven’t been more drastic.

Orange County Schools will absorb these cuts by reducing the amount spent on materials, supplies and training.

The Department of Public Instruction estimates that total enrollment in Orange County Schools increased by 81 students this year.

The current per-pupil appropriation is $3,167. This means the county had to spend about $256,000 more than last year to handle the increase in enrollment without lowering that per-pupil appropriation.

Dipping into the reserve fund might not be a sustainable track for the district — the fund will be at about $3 million this year after the district takes the $1.2 million in appropriated money.

The district’s budget still includes money to establish a school safety contingency fund and additional staff positions. The textbook appropriation also increased almost $500,000.

But Michael Gilbert, student discipline and safety officer, said in an email the increase in textbook allotment doesn’t go far — only increasing by one cent per pupil.

Superintendent Gerri Martin said in an email that Orange County Schools has faired better than some.

“That being said, our students still suffer with cuts in that there are larger class sizes and reduced services,” Martin said.

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