Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Following governor's plan would be tragic for schools

Tragic is what Nevada Superintendent Rick McAfee called any school administrator who budgets according to Gov. Mike Huckabee's projections.

McAfee said the governor is projecting a 4.8 percent increase in revenue for 2003, but he, McAfee, doesn't see this happening.

"The money isn't there. It will be a travesty if people budget this amount and the state can't carry through with the burden," he said. "We've been doing what we could to get our budget here in line."

This year alone, he told members of the Nevada School Board at its regular monthly meeting Thursday, June 20, the Nevada District had to cut more than $220,000 from its budget because of revenue shortfalls at the state level.

Part of this, he said, can be blamed on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, but, McAfee added, the economy was starting downward before the attacks.

"We've made drastic reductions in our budget for 2002-2003," he said, "and are still paying our bills."

Nevada, he said, is one of many districts in the state to lose funding for transportation, even though it's a rural district with buses running routes of more than 600 miles per day overall.

Transportation costs for the coming year will be made up from the operating budget.

He said the lunchroom account has problems as well, but this is a problem across the state, not just at Nevada. The cost of food has risen, which has increased what it costs to prepare breakfasts and lunches.

In addition, he said, there are problems with labor costs. Nevada will be losing two part-time lunch workers and one full-time worker to help cut costs.

The Texarkana School District, he told the board, had to bail out its lunchroom budget to the tune of $250,000 this year.

"We just have to be more efficient."

Because of these problems, McAfee said, the budget for the 2002-2003 school year was based on a zero percent growth in revenue, instead of the governor's prediction of 4.8 percent.

By doing this, he said, the Nevada District can expect to receive about $140,000 per month, and by watching spending, can make it through next year.

"With the massive cuts we've taken," he said, "we've been able to maintain our current budget level."

The board accepted the resignation of two teachers, and these positions will not be filled. One was an elementary teaching slot, while the other was a middle school post.

The board also approved two year-long leaves of absence for next year.

Jim Cross, transportation and maintenance director, said summer work on the facility is going better this year than in years past.

In fact, he said, all lacking in the stripping and waxing program is the hallways.

Cross, who is also the director of the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services, told the board of a workshop he attended recently at Hot Springs.

Arkansas was the first state to host a this particular workshop on multi-hazards for school districts.

"This is the best workshop I've ever attended," he said.

The data for the training was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

McAfee said the program was a preventative setup to show people how to work in emergency situations.

The program deals with a wide variety of possible emergencies, from a child being hurt on the playground to terrorist attacks.

Under its guidelines, strict chains of command and protocols are established so all involved know what they and others are supposed to do in any given situation.

The program, he said, includes dealing with the media and how to control the scene and preserve possible evidence for law enforcement personnel.