CUMBERLAND -- The Cumberland County public school system might have to lay off six employees July 1 as it deals with a shortfall projection of more than $615,000 in next year's budget, School Superintendent James Thornton said.
A total of 10 positions could be lost, including a middle school English teacher, middle school math teacher, high school science teacher, elementary resource teacher and a first-grade teacher, as well as clerical positions.
The employees whose positions are lost but who are not laid off would be shifted to other jobs, Thornton told the School Board during a meeting Tuesday night.
Cumberland's schools budget for the current year is $16.8 million. The school system has about 250 employees and three schools.
Virginia is cutting funding as a result of the economic downturn. Late last year, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine proposed millions of dollars in cuts to K-12 education.
The county expects a $575,000 decrease in state funding next year.
Kaine has said his cuts will not affect classroom instruction, but Thornton takes exception to that.
"It is a lot of spin being done by the governor's office," Thornton said. "We are going to be negatively impacted by this budget. We will continue to improve and [they] will say, 'See, they did not need it.'
"I just think it is a tragedy what they are doing," Thornton said.
Fearful that the General Assembly might seek more severe cuts than those proposed by the governor, the School Board is encouraging a letter-writing campaign to various state officials and representatives urging them to spare education.
The School Board has scheduled a budget workshop for 7 p.m. Monday in the high school library and is asking residents to attend.
The School Board also is planning to meet with the Board of Supervisors and with local state leaders about the budget.
Losing teachers would prompt slight increases in class sizes. The English and math classes would increase to an average of 22 students per class from 18 students per class, Thornton said. The first-grade classes would increase to an average of 18 students from 15 students.
The system hopes to avoid layoffs by persuading supervisors to take over a $249,451 debt-service payment related to the construction of the new high school and middle school complex.
Contact Jamie C. Ruff at (434) 223-3678 or jruff@timesdispatch.com.
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