PRINCE EDWARD – County school board members met in a work session last week to talk budget numbers. And, while it will take time before the final funding numbers are available (the General Assembly must work out the state's funding for localities) Prince Edward is faced with fewer funding dollars.

Factoring the Governor's proposed state budget and lower student numbers and level local funding estimated increases in health insurance costs and Virginia Retirement System's employer share increase, the school system is facing a $1,397,489 funding shortfall for the coming school year.

(Level local funding would mean $7,118,525. State funding is projected to fall from $15,405,327 to $14,611,002 or $794,325 less, and federal funds were projected too fall from $2,881,044 to $2,853,330 or $27,714. The VRS was factored to rise $417,700 and the health insurance $157,750.)

School officials, however, are looking to several areas in essentially a budget plan work-in-progress that could reduce the projected shortfall. That includes factoring the potential reduction of unfilled positions ($253,820) or positions budgeted and are currently not filled (the positions include an elementary vision teacher, elementary early childhood teacher, elementary special education aide, middle school speech teacher and high school business teacher); potential position reductions in elementary cafeteria aides ($38,980) and, with a possible shift from self-contained to more inclusion, two special education teaching positions ($101,380), and trimming ending federal stimulus funding for expenditures in materials, technology and equipment and extra initiatives for a Title I math initiative ($410,885).

<!– 1upcrlf2 –>While still in the early budget process, with the proposed cuts and without additions, school officials may still need to find about $600,000 more in reductions.

In the work session, it was noted that all the schools, all the departments – the departments within the schools – were provided the budget where they are this year, what they had spent as of the end of November and what they project for next year as needs.

“All that information was returned to us in the beginning of January. It's been compiled and (Division Superintendent Dr. David Smith) and I are reviewing it…There are no significant increases by the schools in any area,” detailed School Director of Finance Cindy Wahrman. “What we're looking at now is what else can we do? What else can we look at?”

Their most significant increases or purchases next year may be textbooks, the superintendent detailed. And, in the maintenance category, they have a need to replace a couple of vehicles – one is a tow truck used to bring broken down buses in. (The current vehicle used is a 1956 International, he cited.) They are looking for used and surplus state or military vehicles as a way to hold down expenses.

Dr. Smith also noted a need-and they're looking for used vehicles, as well-to replace a dump truck (that they attach the snow plow to), which has severe rusting in the body.

The school's budget development is a work in progress and, with nothing set in stone, the next scheduled budget work session is scheduled for 3 p.m. February 9.