Minutes 04-29-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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16 years to earn $40K 2008-09 6th year teacher earns $36,670 2013-14 6th year teacher earns $31,220 Adjusting for inflation average salary has decreased 15% over past ten years CHCCS turnover = 14.6% Note: Based on Bachelors Salary Schedule RespectforTeachers? -Elimination of masters pay -25% receive $500 in exchange for relinquishing tenure -Salary proposal left veteran teachers out -Increased class sizes -Reduction in support -Declining Medical Benefits Local Support for Teachers -Local Supplement -Public School Foundation -Mentoring -Teacher of Color Support Group -Teacher Assistants -Volunteers Todd LoFrese said the district has had steady enrollment growth since well before 2008-09 and continues to grow each year. He said this requires the addition of classrooms, teachers and eventually new schools. Referring to the Unassigned Fund Balance slide, Todd LoFrese said three years ago the Board of Education developed a three year strategy and communicated to the Board of Commissioners where things stood with respect to the fund balance. He said the fund balance was being used to hold off teacher assistant and professional development reductions occurring at the state level, called the discretionary reduction. He said better economic times have come, but not for public education. He said the discretionary reductions were eliminated; however this was done by making permanent funding formula changes. He said the district lost 40 teacher positions that it would have otherwise been entitled to. He said, in essence, the state increased class sizes and cut the equivalent of 25 teacher assistants to the district. He said these positions were being held with fund balance, and in this year's budget those positions were retained using $2.2 million in fund balance. He noted the fund balance reductions outlined on the slide and said it is clear that there will not be fund balance available for next year. He said this means difficult reductions will have to be made, or additional revenues will be needed to balance the budget. Todd LoFrese referred to the bar graph outlining mandated cost increases since 2007. He said there have been significant cost increases each year, ranging from a high of over $2 million to a low of$343,000. He said since the great recession of 2009-10, state revenues have been declining, and County officials have struggled to make up for those differences. He said increases at the local level were relatively flat. He said tough choices have been made and there have been reductions upward of$5 million in local budget expenses. He said enrollment continues to grow, but revenues have not.