As of Saturday, June 9, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Rockdale Citizen
CONYERS — The Rockdale County Board of Education is scheduled to hold its next budget hearing this week before it approves a final budget for next school year.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the board room at the Rockdale County Public Schools administrative office complex, which is located at 954 North Main St. in Conyers.
In May, the school board approved with a 6-0 vote one of two budget options presented for the 2011-12 school year. School board member Darlene Hotchkiss was absent from the meeting.
The option approved allows RCPS to continue with its custodial services with a modified delivery model, instead of outsourcing the program as originally proposed to save $1 million.
The budget will total $125,444,519 and the school board’s reserve fund balance will be reduced by $2.1 million to make up for any shortfalls expected by decreased revenues.
Cuts to this year’s budget include removing three staff days from the calendar to save $1.5 million, suspending the alternative retirement contribution for the third consecutive year to save $3.6 million, deferring textbook purchases for the second consecutive year to save more than $2.7 million, deferring computer and laptop replacements to save more than $1.5 million, increasing class size to eliminate 58 teacher positions to save nearly $3.9 million and eliminating 17 central office positions to save nearly $1 million.
Thursday’s public hearing will be followed by the board’s monthly work session, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the same location. The board is expected to approve a final budget at the work session.
The board is scheduled to approve a millage rate in July or August, according to its budget calendar.
More like this story
- Rockdale school board approves final budget ( June 23, 2012 )
- RCPS proposes $15M in cuts ( May 14, 2012 )
- School board to approve final budget tonight ( June 20, 2012 )
- RCPS proposes $124M budget for 2012-13 ( May 15, 2012 )
- RCPS hopes to keep special programs; More furlough days possible ( May 17, 2013 )
Comments
ctownslimm 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Please cut salaries of the superintendent, school system lawyer, assistant superintendent, and all of the other big wigs at the county office. Those guys have the cushiest job there is. I cant get over how little they know about what is going on in the schools yet they continue to go on research trips and shopping for expensive programs that have no effect on student performance. And when pressed to come up with budget cuts, what do they decide? they cut teachers, janitors, secretaries and landscape people. Any salaries except theirs! Or, if you don't have the guts to cut salaries, tell the county office people that they have to develop their own programs based on their own observations in our schools. No more wasting money on training from other places. If they are worth that much money, they can come up with their own training. We do not need to give them that big of a salary to go around shopping for programs.
EarlyBird 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The whole problem centers on the fact that we have a distinct unprofessional elected board. I urge citizens to vote for anyone (black, white, hispanic, oriental or indian) who is not an incumbent. The current board has not served us very well. Let's hope they make a wise choice for new superintendent.
rockdalehomeowner 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The real problem are the austerity cuts from the state. Not only Rockdale but most other counties in the state are suffering. Jasper county will have 15 furlough days! Will all of you blame the boards that govern the school systems for this as well?
Your Georgia General Assembly are to blame. Each year school systems in this state must pass a budget. However, they don't know how much will be withheld (austerity cuts) but they must pass a budget anyway. Foolishness!!!
However, those of you that disagree, why don't you run for a board position and change things but please remember...Georgia and education, there is no such existence.
johndoemo_ 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I do not blame the school board for hard times. But they are not cutting salaries of the people in management who are overpaid. The county office jobs that they cut are functionaries. None of the people getting big bucks are feeling the pain. They need to know that we all see it. We all see that you are willing to cut the jobs of the teachers and workers in the school system but not the same for your own. Don't think we don't see it.
rockdalehomeowner 11 months, 2 weeks ago
If there are work reduction days, then the 12 month people are also affected. Understand this, when you accept money for RT3 and the previous NCLB legislation then there are administrators positions that must be hired in order to get this money.
I agree it's nonsense but there are strings attached to this money.
My unpopular idea is not to take money from the Feds. Raise state taxes that will fund education, you know, just like they will do when or if this HB1162 bill passes (charter schools).
Funny how they (General Assembly) will support charter schools but they won't support what's already in place. Here's another caveat, charter schools don't have to follow state guidelines, for example the teachers don't have to be certified. Currently, there is a bill being drafted in the General Assembly that does NOT require librarians to be certified, Now if they are picking on librarians who do you think they will come after next.
Teachers need a superPAC.
So I can't blame the board at this point, I blame the General Assembly. I also blame the citizens of this state because we are not firing these people.
BOCWatch 11 months, 2 weeks ago
This board has been appathetic on tackling the tough problems. For those that are new I will refer you back to these two older threads on BOCWatch as we stare down the barrel of yet another millage increase:
http://bocwatch.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=425
http://bocwatch.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=462
When we brought this discussion to them they simply ignored the efforts of the residents. A year later nothing has changed, Three of the board members from last year are stepping down, remember who it was that brought the millage increase to the table last year!!
heresyafacts 11 months, 2 weeks ago
If it is true that RCPS schools are seeing End of Course failure rates of 40%, there needs to be a full accounting and scrutiny of what is going on with the Board and leadership of RCPS. For what we spend as taxpayers in this county - given the comparatively small size of the overall student body and the enormous salaries doled out to the Admin - the graduates of RCPS should be able to compete nationally, whether they enter the workforce immediately or continue their education in college. Our state and local gov't can rail all they want about bringing jobs here, but if our students cannot compete with out-of-state workers who are willing to relocate to this area for work, then we have done nothing but continue to grow the need for public assistance and turned out another crop of underemployed, underprepared, low-wage (at best) earners. Good news, perhaps, for new Dollar Trees seeking PT help, but certainly a gloomy future for students who will not understand how lacking their educational foundation was until they are many years out of school. Education should be the clear and primary focus of our schools -- not sports, not visits from music acts, not the extracurricular fun stuff, but things that will actually give all students the level of literacy/math/science they need to compete with the best of the best around the country. Cut the Admin salaries; get discipline under control; get teachers back on the payroll and open clear, unbiased lines of communication with them; and stop kowtowing to the problem parents of problem children at the expense of the rest of the student body. In fact, why not route the worst of the problem students to the central office and let them try and tutor for a while -- maybe then, they would be able to identify with the front line and do something to get schools back on track. The Board's (and former Super's) unwillingness to listen to what is really going on in the schools is worse than apathetic -- it is cruelly undermining the futures of these students. MORE money does not magically solve problems -- it only gives overpaid pencil pushers to opportunity to further reward themselves with larger salaries. The problem with education in this county is not lack of money -- it is lack of motivation on the part of the Board and RCPS Admin to actually DO something to improve the schools.
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