DOGS budget would hammer education: County would be left scrambling for $3M
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In addition to some $2.3 million in state-shared money Warren County stands to lose from its general fund, another $3 million could be slashed from the county’s education budget.
“It’s critically damaging when you’re already 48th or 49th in education spending,” said Education Committee Chairman Bill Zechman referring to Tennessee’s national rank. “It would be a disaster.”
Should a no-new-taxes budget be passed by the General Assembly next month, Education Committee members asked school officials Tuesday night what contingency plans are in place. Present to answer the committee’s questions were Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale as well as School Board members Edd Cantrell, Larry Judkins and Bob Young.
So far, Dr. Hale told the committee, all the school system has received is a letter from the state Department of Education informing them of how much funding the system will lose in the event the DOGS (Downsizing Ongoing Government Services) budget is passed. “We know the amount, but have received no guidelines,” Hale said.
Possibilities include the state mandating higher student-to-teacher ratios, which would require school systems to layoff teachers. Another would just cut funds, leaving local school boards and system officials to decide where to make cuts. With the latter possibility, Dr. Hale said the system hasn’t discussed specifics yet as, “We don’t yet know what hand we’re playing with.”
When asked by the committee if the system would consider every funding cutting option before teacher layoffs, he said other options will be considered first, such as eliminating school bus service, athletic and extra-curricular supplements and para-professional personnel.
“If you lose $3 million you’re going to have to cut some positions. We just don’t know how many,” Hale said. And should this come to pass, he added, those laid off would not necessarily be all non-tenured teachers.
Federal guidelines require student-to-teacher ratios to be kept low in such programs as special education and vocational education. If systems do not comply, they lose federal funding. As a result, even non-tenured teachers in these areas will not face layoffs, while both tenured and non-tenured academic teachers will.
As academic subjects are the only ones in which school systems are held accountable through standardized testing, one ironic consequence should the DOGS budget pass would be that systems would still be held accountable for academic performance but would not be given the funding needed to achieve high scores while other non-accountable areas would remain at full funding levels.
Warren County Education Association representative Regina Woodlee, also on hand for Tuesday night’s meeting, said the county’s non-tenured teachers are “scared to death” and asked committee members how the County Commission would help the school system should the no-new-taxes budget pass.
Committee members said, by their estimates, it would require a property tax increase of 72 cents to fully fund the $3 million. “Personally, I know we need to do something, but a 72-cent increase is just not a option,” said Zechman, who emphasized the county would lose state funding too. To make this up, a 56-cent property tax increase would be necessary.
Committee member Swanson Bennett made a motion that the Education Committee recommend the Budget and Finance Committee support a resolution encouraging the General Assembly to pass a flat income tax not to exceed 4 percent and the repeal of the sales tax on groceries, clothing and non-prescription drugs, as well as repealing the Hall income tax.
Bennett brought a similar motion before the full County Commission late last month which failed, 14-10.
“I don’t see how we have another choice unless we want to suffer, not only next year, but years down the road,” Bennett said.
The motion passed 4-1 with Commissioner David Vandagriff opposed.
Committee member Jeff Killian said he didn’t like the idea of an income tax, but saw its necessity. “I’m opposed to an income tax, but I’m more opposed to my kids and grandkids not getting a quality education,” Killian said.