Agenda - 11-10-1998 - Attachment #7

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CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS Lincoln Center, Merritt Mill Road Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516 Telephone: (919) 967-8211 Neil G. Pedersen Superintendent Ann Hart, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Chester Preyar, Assistant Superintendent for Support Services TO: John Link Orange County Manager FROM: Neil G. Pedersen Superintendent RE: Anticipated Major Budget Issues for 1999-2000 DATE: November 2, 1998 In anticipation of budget discussions later this year, I anticipate the major new expense items to include the following: Expenses Associated with Opening a New Elementary School Our staffing allocations provide many locally funded positions for new schools; therefore, a major cost will be incurred when the new school in Southern Village opens. In addition to staff, new schools generate additional, non-personnel operating expenses such as utilities and staff development. An estimate of the total costs has not yet been prepared. (Note: Although a major addition is being constructed at East Chapel Hill High School, it is not anticipated that there are too many new operating or personnel expenses. Some resources will be transferred between the two high schools when enrollments are balanced. Local Salaries The Board of Education has approved a salary supplement enhancement plan for teachers (a copy has been provided to the County Manager). The major priority in this plan is to boost local supplements for less experienced teachers so that our supplement schedule will be competitive with those of surrounding school districts. In addition, an administrative salary study was completed last year, which the Board will implement over two years. Half of the cost was included in the 1998-99 budget, and the remainder should be provided in the 1999-2000 budget. Class Size Reductions The Administration provided the Board of Education last February with a report on class size (a copy has been provided to the County Manager). The report proposes reducing class sizes over aten-year period and the first year reduction, at the ninth grade, was implemented last year. In the second year of the study, it is proposed that class sizes in grades 10-12 be reduced from 26 to 25 and that class sizes in grade 3 be reduced from 26 to 20. The estimated personnel cost of such reductions, assuming that all third grade classes would continue to be staffed with afull-time assistant, is in excess of $550,000.