As the state legislative session continues, it’s becoming uncertain whether or not the Madison County School System can totally avoid layoffs next year.
Superintendent Mitch McGhee told the school board in early February that he didn’t anticipate layoffs for the 2010-2011 school year, but things have changed under the Gold Dome since then.
“That was before the governor and the legislature had come out and revised their revenue projections down,” McGhee said. “And that was before this latest round of cuts.”
Madison County had to lay off two employees when it extended contracts last year.
While he’s hopeful no jobs are cut for 2010-2011, McGhee said everything is still “up in the air” until the legislature finalizes the state budget.
Furthermore, McGhee said several rumors are floating around the capitol that could potentially force local school systems into some tough decisions.
For example, there’s legislation being discussed that could prohibit school systems from enacting furlough days, he said.
The state cut teacher funding for six days during the 2009-2010 school year, so many school districts furloughed teachers for those days.
“If they cut our budget, but then say we can’t amend our calendar, then we’re going to have no choice but to cut positions,” McGhee said.
So it’s that uncertainty that has Madison County school leaders in wait-and-see mode.
As it did last year, the school system will likely wait until early May to offer teacher contracts this year since the state is allowing school districts more time in making those personnel decisions.
In the past, school districts had to offer contracts in April.
McGhee said presenting contracts in early May ”is probably what we’re going to look at doing there.”
But basically, the timetable depends on when the state legislative session ends.
Traditionally, the state legislature has concluded by mid- April, but it’s uncertain when this session will end with lawmakers looking to cut more than $1 billion from the budget.
“So really, how long we wait is going to depend on how late the legislature stays in session, until we know for sure what kind money we’re getting,” McGhee said.
Once the budget is set, the hope is that there won’t be the additional, mid-year state cuts that have hindered school systems in 2009-2010.
“That’s still a little bit of the silver lining — that most folks still believe that once we get it set, we’re not going to have to deal with what we dealt with this year,” McGhee said.
Because repeating that process in 2010-2011 would be “very painful,” McGhee said.
“We’re beyond cutting to the bone now,” McGhee said. “When we cut now, pieces of bone come flying off.”
