2010-03-01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 Dr. Rosa Atkins, Superintendent of City Schools, reviewed increases in SOL scores and other successful programs. She said the Schools will see a decrease of $129,089 in City funding and a State decrease of 9.77% from last year. She said reductions in State funding since the 2009 budget equal $3,736,969. She said 32.10 positions overall are proposed to be eliminated and operating budgets are reduced by 7%. Class sizes at Buford and Walker will be increased by .5. She said instructional assistants in elementary schools will be reduced by one at each school over a two year period. She said $1,186,000 in short-term fixes and one time items is being used to balance the budget. She said no direct service programs to children at proposed to be cut. She said additional State reductions are possible. Dr. Brown said Dr. Atkins has done a fabulous job as Superintendent. Ms. Szakos said she appreciates finding ways to make cuts without cutting direct services. She said she also appreciates living in a community where people support education. Ms. Edwards asked that Dr. Atkins give the highlights of her NAACP presentation about African American graduation rates, and asked her what we can do as a community to fill in gaps. Dr. Atkins said there is an intense focus on reading, math and core areas, and while graduation rates are not where we want them, they are improving dramatically. She said she would issue a call to action for encouragement of families, and would encourage parents to talk to their kids about the positives. Mr. Huja said he is pleased to see indicators increase across the board and that the three and four-year old programs are being maintained. PRESENTATION : CITY MANAGER’S PROPOSED FY 2011 BUDGET Mr. O’Connell reviewed the highlights of the proposed budget: no cuts to services; lower property taxes; no staff layoffs; and support for City Schools. Ms. Leslie Beauregard, Director of Budget and Performance Management, reviewed revenue projections and expenditures. She said $2.8 million has been proposed for an economic downturn fund for things that cannot be predicted. She said there is a $40.08 million contribution for School operating funds and $110,000 in new funding for Charlottesville Transit System. Dr. Brown said he thinks things are going to get worse and it is going to be very harsh on non-profits. He said we need to be somewhat prepared to fill gaps in essential services provided by non-profits. REPORT : PEDESTRIAN BICYCLE PLAN UPDATE Mr. Tolbert provided an update on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. He reviewed sidewalk priorities. He said bike lanes have been added on all streets where it can be done except where parking would need to be removed. He reviewed off-street trails and pedestrian safety efforts. He said there is a need to reprioritize sidewalks. Ms. Szakos asked if we look at how street lights are placed in conjunction with crosswalks, and Mr. Tolbert said that can be looked into. Dr. Brown said people appear to have developed better habits because of the LED lights at crosswalks. He asked how expensive the devices are that trigger traffic lights by bikes and how they work. Mr. Tolbert said they are done by cameras, but are not extremely expensive. Dr. Brown suggested identifying locations to make those investments. He said that ACCT made a number of recommendations a few years ago, and asked if those recommendations were addressed.