Polk Superintendent Marvin Williams
The school system employs an average of 1,100 people, which includes nutritional workers and auxiliary staff.
Alan Melson, business manager, said personnel accounts for about 86 percent of the school system’s total budget.
To date, the local system has received and absorbed a 2 percent or about $1.7 million in state cuts.
In addition, Governor Sonny Perdue has announced an additional 3 percent cut to Quality Basic Education (QBE) funds.
There is no fat in the budget, according to Superintendent Marvin Williams, who said the school board must find a way to absorb the additional $1.2 million in state cuts.
“The majority of our budget is personnel,” he said, “so we have looked at ways to cut costs without impacting jobs. The board has spent many hours trying to decide what things could be cut without affecting the education of the children.”
Williams said board members have accepted the task of eliminating any waste within the system.
Therefore, action has been taken to make cuts to eliminate any item not deemed necessary to the educational process.
This year, every child will have access to a textbook but they may not necessarily have one to take home. If they need one, the teacher will work it out, according to Williams.
“When I was in school, the teacher went by the textbook,” he said. “The state has now shifted to a Standards Based Education and this is no longer necessary. There are so many more resources that an educator can use in the classroom.”
Another example of utilizing all resources is transferring a classroom teacher from a school with a low number of students in a grade level to one where there is an overflow of kids.
Williams said he is concerned not only about the local system absorbing current state budget cuts but those anticipated in 2010.
He considers Polk’s school system fortunate that no major layoffs have had to be made due to state cuts. However, he expressed the thought that this may not be possible if more are announced next year.
“It is something that no one wants but we will have to look at the people we employ,” Williams said. “I am not sure about next year's budget and cuts that we must make.”
He said this could include such items as music and art, which are offered in all of the schools. “We want to continue to offer these to our students, but we must look at these things and make decisions that have to be made.”
Priorities have to be set, he explained, and state rules require a classroom teacher for core subjects such as science, reading, math, social studies and connections.
Williams doesn’t believe budget decisions will improve through next term and admits school officials are walking a fine line.
Although Governor Sonny Perdue has announced cuts to education, Williams said he understands that there is a limited amount of funds to spread across Georgia. “We are fortunate he (Perdue) did not go after education in the first round of budget slashing. I think our Governor knows how important education is to the future of our children.”
I hope this sinks in.
If people do not call or email the Superintendent's Office and voice concerns about statements of the potential of cutting these programs, then all Mr. Williams will later have to say is that he warned us and the majority of parents didn't bother to say anything. I guess that it means parents are ok with losing these programs.
I've lived in Polk Co my whole life and attended Polk Co schools. And I couldn't tell you all the stuff I've seen over the years - "Mastery Learning", students picketing in front of the school & getting suspended, police officers in the schools due to race problems, police officers at the Board Meetings to keep the members from physically assaulting each other.
Yes, our students need art & music programs and I'm confident Mr Williams will do everything possible to keep those programs available.
(And yes, my son attended & my daughter still does attend Polk Co schools.)
The arts are essential parts of the human experience, they are not a frill. We recommend that all students study the arts to discover how human beings communicate not only with words, but through music, dance, and the visual arts. During our visits (to schools) we found the arts to be shamefully neglected. Courses in the arts were the last to come and the first to go.
The National Arts Education, Public Awareness Campaign states that arts,
Improve kids' overall academic performance.
Show that kids actively engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.
Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more.
Teach kids to be more tolerant and open.
Allow kids to express themselves creatively and bolster their self-confidence.
Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.
NOT OUR ARTS PROGRAMS!!!!
Are you kidding me!
However, I'm sure he knows there are a TON of Mama & Papa Bears in GA who are registered voters and who send their cubs to public schools. Sonny-Boy knows he can mess with the taxes & the jobs & just about anything else...but we've all heard the saying about the most dangerous place on earth is between a Mama Bear & her cubs!