“It feels like the ground is shaking” is what one school employee said at a recent community meeting, school board chairman Jim Campbell says she is right and it is going to feel that way for a while.
The board is looking at multiple areas of the budget for ways to re-purpose dollars to the 20/20 Strategic Plan.
During budget planning a school board request for additional funding from the county commission was not approved to fund the board’s 20/20 Strategic Plan. The plan includes Pre-K programs, 3rd grade reading programs, a middle-school academic academy, and technology components.
Savings already realized suggest the board will end the year with a $300 thousand dollar surplus, and additional estimated savings could total approximately $900 thousand dollars, according to board member Truman Murray.
The board is looking for money to cover expenditures through the current 14/15 school year. They believe this is the time needed to carefully put together a plan to restructure the school system. That plan will include: transportation, zoning, school consolidation, and even changes in teaching and leadership.
Jim Campbell said, this will “turn the community upside down’ regarding education…”we need time to include all the stakeholders in the decision process”.
At Thursday’s board meeting the members approved proceeding with a transportation audit and set a goal of December 2015 to have a finished restructuring plan.
