Budget cuts hit the classroom
Published: September 7, 2009
The Richmond school system eliminated half of its funding for field trips. The Hanover County schools cut an elementary school strings program. The Chesterfield County schools laid off many reading teachers and math coaches.
With the exception of the Henrico County schools, area school districts are starting this school year with fewer resources, after having to cut millions of dollars to make up budget shortfalls.
"At this point, we're going into this school year with a lot of apprehension," said Marshall W. Trammell Jr., Chesterfield's School Board chairman. "It's certainly frustrating. We know that we're not by ourselves. Every school division is facing some very similar issues."
The Chesterfield school system cut $32 million to balance its $571.6 million budget to serve the district's 59,000 students this school year. That is a 3.8 percent decrease from last year's budget.
"It certainly has caused us to have to make adjustments in a lot of different areas," Trammell said.
Teachers and employees will receive no pay increases. Funding to replace buses, vehicles and textbooks was cut.
"You save money on one end," Trammell said, "but the problem is that we're going to have to spend more time in maintenance, and how long are you able to that until you cross that line of diminishing return?"
Reading teachers were reduced to 25, down from 58. School discretionary budgets were reduced by 20 percent.
Plans to expand foreign-language programs at the 13 of 38 elementary schools that have them have been delayed. Middle schools expect to offer fewer foreign language classes this year, in part because of budget cuts. An elementary International Baccalaureate program, which was scheduled to begin this year, has been eliminated.
But there's a bright spot: As teachers have retired or resigned, the school system has been able to rehire most of the 69 employees who were laid off to balance the budget, said Shawn Smith, spokesman for Chesterfield schools.
"The commitment was to preserve the integrity of the classroom by as much as possible," he said. "But at the end of the day we were forced to cut $32 million, which would affect the classroom."
A $20 million boost in federal stimulus money helped save 275 jobs.
"The fed stimulus funding is a short-term fix," Smith said. "We're working to plan for a difficult time ahead."
The Chesterfield school system will participate in a state efficiency study this fall to look at how non-instructional operations can run more efficiently, he said.
Elsewhere in the region, the Richmond school system had to cut $9.7 million, reducing its budget to about $260 million. One school, Chandler Middle, was closed and 84 job positions were eliminated. Funding for summer school, after-school programs and employee tuition reimbursement was cut by 25 percent. Funding for textbooks was cut by 80 percent.
In Hanover, school officials had to close a $15 million budget shortfall. The school system plans to lengthen cycles for bus and computer replacements, and reduce funds for training, facilities repair, regional tuition and equipment. A strings program, which had 373 fifth-graders during the 2008-09 school year, was eliminated, too. Within the next two years, 117 positions -- including 52 teaching positions -- will be eliminated.
"Small class size has been a value in Hanover County Public Schools for many years," said school-system spokeswoman Dale Theakston. "Although the school district will feel the impact of budget cuts in many areas, the most significant impacts on the instructional program will be the alignment of staffing to a slightly higher pupil-to-teacher ratio, reduced administrative and support positions, and a reduced instructional materials account."
In Chesterfield, Trammell said the county is bracing for more state budget cuts.
"At this point, we're waiting for what the governor's budget cuts are going to be," he said. "Our staff is not resting. They're looking at the budget and where we would have to make some cuts in case they come out with more cuts."
Chesterfield resident Shelly Schuetz, who has two children in middle school and one in high school, said she's most worried that budget cuts could cause the student-to-teacher ratio to increase, but school officials have said ratios will remain the same.
Frank Cardella, president of the Chesterfield Education Association, said it's scary to think that additional cuts may be on the way. He taught science at Manchester High School until June, and he said he was glad to see that the School Board saved teachers' jobs.
"You have to prioritize people," he said. "You can teach a child without a book, but you can't teach a child without a teacher."
Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or
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Reader Reactions
I am thankful I do not live in Chesterfield Co. anylonger. People wake up and smell the roses. Chesterfield has the highest number of illegal aliens in all of the counties. Am I the only one to see a connection to this and the highest school budget…who pays for all of these children to get a free education. Can anyone say state dollars.
Anon- I agree with you completely. It’s a shame that good news doesn’t sell papers. I don’t think it’s a big secret that Henrico keeps it’s belt tight when it comes to school spending, other area locals could certainly adopt the same policy. I don’t know much about Chesterfield’s system, as I’ve never lived there, but… from what I’ve heard from friends who teach or work in the county, they hand out money like candy. High schools have a principal, assistant principal(s), and dean(s) of students. What in the heck does the dean of students do that a principal, assistant(s), and school counselor(s) couldn’t divide up amongst themselves? Seems to me Chesterfield got themselves into a bind because they went on a shopping spree when the money was good, but now that it’s not there anymore, they have way too much in the closet. Henrico was smart, kept a close watch on the wallet and didn’t let unnecessary spending (or hiring) happen on the schools end unless the board was able to overwhelmingly justify the need for an extra body. Richmond… well, that’s a whole different ballgame.
heh “concerned” it seems somewhat unfathomably that those “high paid sped Administrators” as you call them are so uneducated but overpaid. Do I detect an axe being grinded here? Sounds like you’ve been there done that and lost??
Ric4me,
“Anon- You need to get your info straight. Nothing happened in Henrico, because the budgeting system with the county gov’t kept the schools from overspending on unnecessary things (like Chesterfield’s “Dean(s) of Students” in all high schools). Henrico didn’t lay off anyone or have any major cut backs that weren’t evened out with the usual retirements and resignations.“
Thank you. I just don’t understand why the TD staff can’t find those answers, instead of treating Henrico like a backwater with no school system of its own. Instead of focusing on what the other districts were doing to cope, emphasis needs to be put on avoiding these problems in the first place.
Considering the amount of money and resources Hanover County drags in just on taxes alone, there shouldn’t BE an issue of ANY financial problems. There seems to be a huge mismanagement of money somewhere. I know that there is a huge disparity in the difference of money spent on Patrick Henry and Lee Davis High School than there is on Atlee and Hanover High School which makes no sense. PH an LDH were better off when Hanover was almost all rural. I certainly never had to pay $30 like my daughter will this year for “senior fees” and I never had to pay $150 per year for marching band “camp” which is held in the PH parking lot. There is a LOT of money being misspent in this county. I wonder if John Cox has any intention of actually doing something about it since none of the other leadership does?
Yes, that’s me. I’ve joked this year that I was so smart in third grade that I got to skip 4th and go straight on to 5th! I love what I do and I really appreciate my school. It insults me when people put everyone in the same category of ineffectiveness. When you try to color a complicated picture with crayons or paintbrushes that are too big, you end up ouside of the lines and you can’t ever tell what your masterpiece was supposed to look like.
I don’t know if I’m a great teacher yet, but I work every day and every year to get better, and I prioritize my students’ needs beyond everything else so I think I’m the sort of teacher I would want my own child to have. My students have been very successful because I demand hard work and personal responsibility instead of pointing fingers and telling them who is to blame for failure. Matoaca is a gem in CCPS. I taught in another metro system as well as in Georgia, and I can say that I am proud of CCPS, I feel like we do wonderful things with and for our students, and that despite the flaws that are present in any big system, I think that the vast majority of the employees, staff and administration has their heart in the right place. I look forward to sending my daughter to Marguerite Christian when she’s kindergarten age. I wish that the people looking to point fingers understood just what a wonderful thing they truly do have here. I’ll tell those people who are trying to demonize this: If you can’t do something, you can learn how and practice until you can. If you won’t do something, there’s nothing you can do to change it. If you won’t do anything except complain, then nothing will ever change.
Amanda, Did you teach 3rd grade before this year? There is no 5th grade teacher named Amanda at Matoaca listed. I want you to be my kids teacher! I know you will let me volunteer, and you sound like a great teacher. And I also have heard many good things about Matoaco schools. Did you just get moved to 5th for next year?
Best to you! And you have our support, believe me!
But see what happened to Nancy Nagle in 2003.
My overwhelming point here is: instead of complaining about us and pointing the finger, why don’t you get involved and effect the change you think we need? That’s the point. Complaining does nothing but insult people who are working hard. If you don’t like the way we do what we do, then feel free to come and show us how you think we ought to be doing it. There’s nothing more ineffective than someone whose goal is to make you afraid of the problems and then looks to demonize who they think is to blame, rather than stepping up to be part of a solution.
Um, no, I’m neither ranting nor raving. I’m stating that what you’re reading in this story in regards to the effect of budget cuts in CCPS is not the entire picture. I have not said that CCPS is perfect and that nowhere in the county are there schools or teachers with problems. However, to paint a picture of the entire system with broad brushstrokes of negativity indicates that you believe that every school in the entire county is a failure. And we’re not.
And as far as my professional competence goes, I don’t believe that being competent indicates that I believe I am perfect. Every teacher commits to spending their career learning ways to be better. However, I am successful with what I do (state-assessment results driven statement, thanks) and I believe that my assessment results show that I am a competent teacher. However, even a competent teacher in a bad system can have limited success. And CCPS is not a bad system. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
And I didn’t call your kids’ teachers idiots at all. In fact, if you go back and read, I was taking offense at someone else suggesting that a competent teacher WOULD NOT want or need help in her classroom. I’m not having a tantrum at all. Appreciating assistance doesn’t make someone an idiot…. however, I think it’s ridiculous of another commentator here to suggest that if a teacher wants and appreciates help it is because he or she is unable to do his or her job. That’s an idiotic thing to say.
My entire point here is that you’re trying to shove the whole county into one box of terribleness that it does not deserve. Not every school or every teacher is the maleficient entitity you’d like them to be. Come on down to Matoaca, the little school everyone forgets exists, and you can see a staff who is working hard to teach every child in that building, and plenty of appreciation for what our overworked parents do for us.
Amanda, You accused some of us of ranting and raving when it is apparent that you are the only one who is doing so. We are calmly having a discussion, there is no need to have a temper tantrum. We all have different experiences with our different schools. Until you are target of retaliation, you know nothing about it. You need to learn about it, though, in order to protect yourself against it.
Why don’t teachers speak to the School Board publicly? Why don’t teachers write letters to the editor and sign their names? They used to years ago. Why don’t teachers advocate for kids with special needs at the IEP table? Why don’t teachers speak out against abuses in their building? Why don’t you list your name and school?
You called my kids’ teachers “idiots” though because they did not allow me in the classroom to volunteer. I have been a volunteer for over a decade. This was the first year I was barred and the first year abuse took place. I can connect the dots.
Again, explain the vast $$ spent on litigation. How many teacher jobs could have been saved for that amount of $$.
We are glad you having a wonderful teaching experience. We hear from many teachers who testify to chaos in their classrooms and chaos in the school building.
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