School Board Plans to Up Next Year's Budget

The school board proposed a 15.5 percent budget increase that will raise it to $40.4 million. That money will be used to help pay for a new school, increase teacher benefits and institute new programs.

Two-thirds of the school board's proposed budget is reserved for fixed costs, most of which are associated with student enrollment growth and include opening a new middle school.

The remaining third of the budget provides for several programs including attracting and retaining teachers through increased benefits and supplements.

The new budget must be approved by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, which finances the schools.

But Superintendent Neil Pedersen proposed that nearly $1.1 million of the increases be offset by raising the school district's special property tax by 2 cents.

School officials suggested to the school board that the revenue from the 2-cent tax increase be used only to cover the $1.4 million cost of opening Smith Middle School.

"One of the consequences of growth is new schools," school board member Maryanne Rosenman said.

Two of the district's other middle schools already are over capacity, and there will be a general increase in student enrollment next year, Pedersen said.

"Overall, the county and Triangle areas are growing rapidly," Pedersen said.

"Student population (in the district) is about twice the rate of the general population."

Kim Hoke, spokeswoman for the school system, said the district is enrolling more students than any other in North Carolina.

"We are the fastest growing district in the state, percentage-wise," she said.

Besides an increase in students, there are also state-mandated increases in teacher salaries, the costs of health insurance and the increases in the state retirement plans that comprise the rest of the two-thirds fixed cost.

Nicholas Didow, chairman of the school board, said the budget was within the target range that the board had outlined in February.

"I'm quite pleased with what was brought forward," Didow said.

But one critical issue that many school board members said they felt was left out concerned pay increases for employees in the lowest salary grade.

This salary grade includes custodians and cafeteria workers, Rosenman said.

She and other board members stressed at the meeting that the current salaries for these workers place them dangerously close to the poverty line.

Rosenman also mentioned a need for funding "anti-bully programs" that would improve school safety and deter the violence that has afflicted some schools in the nation.

Rosenman said she had a good feeling about the pending budget review by the commissioners.

"We'll have to make some cuts, but I feel pretty comfortable."

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