The Alamance-Burlington Board of Education got a first look Tuesday afternoon at a proposed reduction in force (RIF) plan during their work session meeting. The plan included three different proposals for reducing costs in order to address a projected $3.2 million budget shortfall for the remainder of the current school year. This comes after the District made $7 million in reductions to the budget over the last year and redirected some of those funds to the classroom.
Rising utility costs, increased staff benefits, substitute teacher costs, and fluctuations in district insurance are all contributing to the budget deficit. Additionally, some non-teaching positions are currently overstaffed over the state allotment.
The leadership team presented three reduction in force options:
Plan 1. Absorb existing vacancies in positions like high school counselors, assistant principals, and school nurses. This option would not result in any layoffs.
Plan 2. Reduce the number of months certain employees work. This would also avoid layoffs.
Plan 3. A plan that would result in some staff layoffs, including the elimination of some Assistant Principal positions, part-time Middle School Office Support Staff, eliminate 4th and 5th grade offerings at the ABSS Virtual School, and the elimination of Dual Language offerings at the middle school level.
While there are no plans to cut the Elementary Spanish Immersion program, a list of subscription programs could potentially be eliminated including Leader in Me and A+ Arts. While the tenets of these programs will continue with students participating in leadership opportunities and arts programming, the subscription costs will save the District an estimated $78,000.
The full plan can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2eoda
Several Board members mentioned the possibility of going back before the County Commissioners between now and June 30 to ask for additional funds before moving forward with any staff reductions.
"We are grateful that the Alamance County Commissioners gave us $250,000 last week as a lifeline," said Dr. Dain Butler, Superintendent. "I want our community to know, students are at the heart of every decision we make. What's best for them remains our priority. These are difficult decisions, however we are laser focused on being fiscally responsible and developing a budget for next year that’s within our means."
The Board of Education will meet on February 26 at 6:30 pm to consider next steps.
Budget Talks 2024-25
Talks regarding next year’s budget are also underway. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 26 at 6:00 p.m. One of the items being explored is a one-time bonus for classified staff. Superintendent Dr. Dain Butler emphasized that even with recent budget challenges, "This doesn't change our focus - we're still focused on people. That's why we're recommending a classified staff supplement in next year's budget to help retain these valuable employees."
He highlighted that classified employees are essential to school operations and deserve additional compensation for their hard work and dedication to students.
When examining the budget breakdown, 31% of the district's local budget goes to Operations which includes all utilities and custodial services ($15 million). Another 24% goes to Supplements ($11 million), while 9% goes to Charter Schools ($4.3 million), Chief Finance Officer Kim McVey pointed out, "We have to pay Charter Schools whenever a student leaves us and goes to that school. If a student who resides within our school district enrolls in a charter school, our district is required by law to transfer the local portion of funding to cover educating that student. We are expected to pay $570,000 above our $4.3 million budget to charter schools enrolling our students. This money comes out of our local funds and reduces what's available to operate our own schools.”
The Board of Education will approve the funding request on March 25 before submitting it to the County Manager on March 26. The Commissioners will hold a budget hearing on June 3 with plans to approve the final budget by June 17.
Lunch Debt
The District is also facing a mounting school lunch debt of nearly $60,000 so far this year. Families are encouraged to apply for free and reduced lunch if they are unable to afford the cost. In recent weeks, community organizations and individuals have stepped in to help cover some of the costs. However, the lunch program is self-funded through federal reimbursement, state funds, and families paying, so it cannot sustain debt. While this is not unique to ABSS, the District hopes increased awareness and confidential application for assistance will help families access affordable meals and bring down the current debt. Students who have a lunch debt are still allowed to eat a hot meal daily. The link to apply can be found here: https://www.lunchapplication.c...
Rezoning
The Board is also considering a plan to rezone around 100 students next school year to address overcrowding at Woodlawn Middle School. The school, which was built for 650 students, currently has an enrollment of 750. Recent rapid growth in the area from new industries like Amazon, Honda, and biotech industries has led to capacity challenges for the district. Woodlawn is currently at 115% capacity, the largest in the district. The preliminary rezoning plan would reduce Woodlawn's population to approximately 624 students for the 2024-2025 academic year, if approved. Overall, the district has 11 schools at capacity and 8 nearing capacity.
New Administrators
The Board of Education, along with Superintendent Dr. Butler, is pleased to announce the following administrative appointments.
A familiar face will be returning to Eastlawn Elementary. Syeda Smith-Williams who was a principal intern at the school in 2018-19 will be assuming the role as principal. Smith-Williams has spent most of her career in ABSS having served as a teacher and administrator. She is currently the Assistant Principal at Graham High School.
Steven Fine, Assistant Principal at Williams High School since 2021, has been named the new Principal at Garrett Elementary School. Mr. Fine has 12 years of experience as a teacher and has served as a teacher mentor.
Tonya Jones, Assistant Principal at Woodlawn Middle School, has been appointed as the District's new Director of Pre-K and After School Programs. Prior to working in ABSS, Jones worked as a business education teacher and served for more than 10 years as AP in other districts.
Calendar
The Board also adopted the 2024-2025 school calendar for both Alamance Burlington Early College at ACC and for those attending traditional schools. The calendars can be viewed here: https://www.abss.k12.nc.us/documents/district-information/calendars/2024-2025/584131