Latest data: Schools facing $7.5 million shortfall in FY2012 budget

Posted by
Mike Buffington
in Education Archives
Wednesday, May 4. 2011
Comments (8)
Barrow County School System assistant superintendent Ken Cato gave the board of education updated numbers on the projections for both the end of the current fiscal year in June and also new projections for the BCSS FY2012 budget.

With some new state data in hand, Cato projects the system will actually end the current fiscal year in the black by around $190,000. That would leave the system with a $10.8 million fund balance to start into FY2012.

But Cato’s projections for next year anticipate a decline in revenue of nearly $4 million, most of which will be due to a projected eight percent decline in the county’s tax digest.

In addition, the system now projects a $3.5 million increase in expenses for a total shortfall in FY2012 of $7.5 million.

Left unchanged, that would mean the system would have to use most of its reserves next year to balance the budget and that would leave only about two weeks of cash on hand for the system to use.
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#1 Victor on 05/04/11 at 10:42 PM [Reply]
They could save at least twice that by eliminating all extra-curricular sports programs. School is for learning academics. Unfortunately the boards have allowed the school system to revolve around athletics instead of academics...
#2 Fortitude on 05/05/11 at 07:57 AM [Reply]
Victor,

I do agree with you that academics are more important than athletics. However, athletics are self supported since it is illegal for any school system in the state to use tax payer funds to pay for football, baseball etc. Also, some students have a talent, if they cold not use that talent in school, no scholarships and that would mean no college for most. High school athletics keeps most kids out of trouble by offering them something to focus on, especially in an area like Barrow, where your choices are school, work, meth and teen pregnancy then living off of taxpayers
#2.1 Annie Omus on 05/05/11 at 09:05 AM [Reply]
If athletics are self supported then they need to support the salaries of the Coaches and the Assitant Principals titled Athletic Directors that are on the payroll. Majority of the Coaches have dual roles of teacher and coach and the percentage of salary they draw for being a coach should be self supported. Who knows what the purpose of a high paid Assistant Principal/ Athletics Director is, but it should also be self supporting then. But I do agree with your point that it gives kids something positive to focus on.
#2.1.1 Fortitude on 05/05/11 at 09:42 AM [Reply]
From what I know about this (family is a teacher), coaches have to be a certified teacher, so that is why they have dual roles. You can be an assistant coach and be a part time employee, but full time coaches have to be full time teachers, so that is why some get paid overtime or an extra stipend to coach.
It is a messed up system, but that is the way it is.
#2.1.1.1 Jack Legg on 05/05/11 at 11:16 AM [Reply]
If we dont get some competent coachs/teachers for the football program at WBHS then we wont ever have any kind of good school system in Barrow. Sure, I know the appachee has got a good footbal program and they could be state champs but they wont ever crry the same weight in the community as Winder barrow, sorry but thats just a fact.
#2.2 Victor on 05/05/11 at 09:38 PM [Reply]
Organized sports through the school system benefit an extremely small percentage of the overall number of kids in school, so the argument that the programs keep kids out of trouble is virtually moot. Since the atheltic programs are billed as self supporting, they also need to pay the bill for the lights and other utilities at the game, maintainance on the facilities, fuel for transportation, usage of the busses themselves, pay a fee for facility usage, the salaries of everyone even remotely connected to the programs from the principle to the custodian who picks up the garbage to the off duty cop who works security at the games, etc. etc.


You are fooling yourself if you believe that athletic and other non-academic programs are not tax payer subsidized. As for the bogus argument that "some students have a talent, if they could not use that talent in school, no scholarships and that would mean no college for most", well college should be based around academics as well. They are many who advocate eliminating athletic based scholarships as well.
#2.2.1 Fortitude on 05/06/11 at 09:44 AM [Reply]
So your basically saying, by removing sports, it would save tax payer money and only a handful of students would be affected ? You must have been in the band or drama club because sports is what drives most students, from track and field to football, to do keep their grades up. I played sports thoughout high school and was a "geek", but several good kids I knew, that was their only hope to go to college was a scholarship. It is proven that sports keep at risk youth focused on studies. Yes it is a financial drain, but if schools ditched high school sports, alot of families i.e. tax base would be moving out of county and then you will see a rise in taxes to make up for the loss
#3 TickedOff on 05/05/11 at 12:19 PM [Reply]
The only weight WBHS carries around is one of mediocrity. I played there. My kid played there. Look at the records in the past 10 years. You'll see a trend. 1-9.2-8,5-5,0-10,4-6 etc. Theve had a chance to hire good coaches/teachers and AD s but passed them up because someone might lose a job or get their feelings hurt. Give Justin and Wagner a chance, I think they'll turn it around. Make no mistake good sports programs, good drama clubs, bands, figure in a parents decision when looking for a school. Hey Jack, I'd much rather my son wear a state championship ring from Apalachee than carry "weight" at WB. thats a fact. As you can see Im pro sports,but Ive made several comments on here that suggest ways to cut even in coaching and sports.
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