2009-03-16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 Ms. Atkins said most concerns were about eliminating the program. She said the proposal is to eliminate one position but the program will not change. She said they are trying to be more efficient. Mr. Ned Michie, School Board Chairman, said that it was felt that CLASS was overstaffed given the size of the program. Mr. Taliaferro asked about the savings from the alternative school program, and Ms. Atkins said that $175,000 was budgeted last year to look at facilities, but instead the current lease for the alternative school was extended. Responding to a question from Mr. Taliaferro, Ms. Atkins said that the pupil/teacher formula at the alternative school is similar to that at Charlottesville High School. Mr. Huja asked if cooperative efforts are being explored with Albemarle County, and Ms. Atkins said that she regularly talked about opportunities with the Superintendent of Albemarle County Schools and efforts have been made regarding coordinating professional development and CATEC. She said City students are allowed to attend Murray School and County students are allowed to attend the City’s alternative school. Mr. Huja said he generally supports pay raises for teachers. He asked if local food is used in schools. Mr. Gillaspie said that food purchases are based on the lowest cost due to the procurement act. Ms. Edwards asked if the Schools generally have a contingency reserve, and asked for an example of how it has been used. Mr. Gillaspie said this is only the second time in ten years that there has been a contingency reserve. Ms. Atkins said they have been cautioned by the State that the Schools could still incur a shortfall and the contingency fund gives the Board flexibility to respond to a potential shortfall. She said if it is not needed for that it can be used for other priorities. Regarding the CLASS program, Ms. Edwards said it is important for Council not to micromanage the School budget. She suggested having a follow-up discussion on the CLASS program at a School Board/Council lunch meeting. Dr. Brown pointed out that Council does not have a say in the details of the School budget. He said change is hard, referring to the proposal for the CLASS program. He said the bigger issue is how budgets will fare in the next few years. He said part of the concern is City employees are not getting a raise. He said we may not have additional new money next year and the State balanced its budget with stimulus money. He said he would like to learn more about where we are and where we can go with the alternative program at a future lunch meeting. He said he would like to continue to hold monthly lunch meetings with the School Board. Mr. Michie said the School Board discussed the salary issue, but in the end felt it was compelling since money could be saved by cutting positions due to decreased enrollment. He said it is critically important to hire the best teachers. Mr. Norris said we all have a vested interest in the success of the school system. He commended the Schools for continued success in implementing changes. He said there has been concern in the past about the size of the central office, and noted that the biggest percentage of cuts are there. He said the concerns about the CLASS program seem to be more about the process. He asked if there were discussions about phasing in the changes.