Students at the extremes are the ones who will suffer under budget cuts proposed in Hanover County, according to speakers last night at the Hanover School Board meeting.
Students in gifted and talented programs, students with disabilities and students in JROTC program will be cut out of opportunities if the proposed $198 million budget for fiscal 2011 is adopted as is, said speakers who ranged from students at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School to the head of the Hanover Special Education Advisory Committee.
About $15.7 million in reduced revenue from state and local governments added to almost $2.9 million in new spending for health and retirement costs has produced a need for almost $18.6 million in cuts from current programs.
The current budget is $213 million.
To close the gap, Superintendent Stewart D. Roberson proposed cutting 130 positions and freezing 41 vacant positions; increasing class sizes by one student; delaying replacements of textbooks, buses and computers; delaying additions to four schools; reducing energy costs by closing buildings completely during school holidays; reducing individual school budgets by 12.5 percent; and reducing overtime pay, long-term substitute pay and stipends for club sponsors and coaches.
Lucy Cantrell, chairman of the special-education advisory committee, asked for a new initiative to provide transportation for students with severe disabilities to after-school care sites.
Vicky Murrell of Mechanicsville, who said her daughter receives autism services, said she had great difficulty finding after-school care.
"We were in one school district. The sitter was in another district. The bus drove right by the school but was not allowed to stop," she said, "because of this entrenched notion that we can't change things. I did make other arrangements and it worked out for me, but I know many others who haven't been able."
She asked whether the issue is truly funding or just flexibility.
Fowler Evans, a junior at Lee-Davis High School, said moving the JROTC program from Lee-Davis would hurt his chance for a leadership position and scholarships. As a student in advanced classes, he can't afford to spend an hour a day commuting, he said. "It takes three years of my hard work and somewhat puts it down the tubes," he said.
About two dozen people from Maggie Walker thanked board members for supporting the school and encouraged them to continue.
Talented and gifted programs on the elementary level would suffer disproportionately from a reduction of 2.7 full-time instructor positions because it would affect the nature of the program, said Debbie Chenault, chairwoman of the gifted and talented advisory committee.
Angela Downer, president of Hanover Professional Educators, encouraged consideration of a real estate tax increase to minimize the effects of the budget shortfall. She said if education suffers, then so do real estate values.
The Hanover School Board will have another work session tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and is scheduled to adopt a budget Tuesday.
Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or kcalos@timesdispatch.com.
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