Hanover County school leaders moved closer to agreeing on a spending plan, but the division's early-retirement program remains a sticking point.
Much of the discussion during a work session Tuesday night focused on the early-retirement program. Opinions ranged from making immediate changes to slashing funding next year to possibly phasing it out. The program allows staff with at least 20 years in the Virginia Retirement System and at least 10 years with Hanover schools to retire and come back to work in the division for 25 days at 21 percent of their final compensation.
At the board's meeting next Tuesday, Superintendent Jamelle S. Wilson and her staff will present draft policy changes to the program to make it more like a post-retirement employment program that might include participants being paid an hourly rate to work for as long as they are needed by the division.
Wilson on Tuesday presented multiple alternative budget-balancing options to make up a projected $13.96 million deficit to the division's fiscal 2012-13 general fund budget.
Last month, the board delayed adopting its $191.6 million total budget, which takes effect July 1, to take more time to discuss proposed cuts.
The division's spending plan includes $179.3 million for the general fund. The total budget is 6.1 percent less than the current $203.95 million plan; the general fund is down 1.4 percent.
The School Board did reach a consensus on one option. It's one Wilson called "an option which marries lots of different needs and desires, which tries to look as much ahead toward 2013-14 and beyond as much as we can."
Among the noticeable changes from the budget introduced last month, is restoring 13.8 positions — four senior teacher positions at the high school level and 9.8 full-time equivalent teachers to reduce the elementary pupil-teacher ratio by an average of 0.5 rather than 1.
Still, the option on the table calls for the elimination of 88.4 full-time equivalent positions, including 16.1 that are currently vacant. Wilson said she is optimistic the division can achieve personnel cuts through attrition.
Another change is reducing the early-retirement program from 21 percent of final salary to 10 percent to save $1.1 million and possibly lead to phasing out the program entirely.
Wilson said the cut represents a 52 percent reduction to the program's total cost. But some board members wanted more.
Mechanicsville District representative Glenn T. Millican Jr. said the structure of the program should change or it should be eliminated. He suggested that early retirees be given first priority as substitute teachers or for part-time employment and be compensated at an hourly rate, approximately the middle step for the position they are filling.
"I can't bring closure in my mind to justify … cutting any full-time, classroom positions to fund a program that is clearly set forth as a one-year, if it could be afforded, benefit for retirees," he said.
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