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Schools Plan Hearing On Tight Budget

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By RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 24, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School Board will hold its first hearing on the 2008-09 budget Tuesday as it prepares for what is expected to be a tight financial year that could get even worse with more state funding cuts and rising gas and electricity prices.

The overall proposed budget is $1.2 billion, down from about $1.3 billion last year. The board plans a tax rate of $7.21 per $1,000 of taxable property, which is the same as last year.

The public hearing on the budget and tax rate will be at 6 p.m. in the school board meeting room in building No. 3 at 7205 Land O' Lakes Blvd.

Based on the proposed tax rate, the owner of a home valued at $225,000, after taking the $25,000 homestead exemption, would pay $1,441 to the school district.

Like other school districts and government agencies throughout the state, Pasco schools are dealing with cuts in state spending as they plan for 2008-09.

The district, already looking at $16 million in cuts, recently learned it can expect an additional $447,398 loss in revenue after the Florida Department of Education made an adjustment in the amount for the "local effort" portion of the district's tax rate.

School boards have minimal say in their tax rates. The rate is largely determined in Tallahassee.

Board members met Tuesday afternoon in a board workshop where they and Superintendent Heather Fiorentino expressed concerns about several factors that could force them to make even more cuts.

Fiorentino said a special session of the Legislature is expected in the fall and it's anticipated lawmakers could cut education spending more.

She said the proposed budget also is based on a projection that Pasco will grow by 1,387 students this year. State funding is determined by the number of students.

"We could be in trouble if we don't get that number," Fiorentino said.
Assistant Superintendent Ray Gadd said preliminary numbers indicate growth is "well below" the projection.

With power companies seeking rate increases, board vice chairman Frank Parker raised concerns that the district's energy-savings effort is going to be canceled out by higher electric bills.

In anticipation of those potentially higher power bills, Fiorentino sent schools a lengthy memo detailing ways they can limit their use of electricity.

On another cost-of-living front, board member Allen Altman questioned whether enough money is budgeted for the diesel fuel needed to run the school district's fleet of buses.

"We certainly aren't going to have fewer bus trips," Altman said.
Gadd said the district is examining ways to reduce the number of trips by consolidating some routes. The downside, Gadd said, is some children may face longer bus rides.

The district also is re-examining the "courtesy rides" it provides to some students. Usually, to ride a bus the student either must live more than 2 miles from the school or face walking conditions the state deems hazardous.

In some cases, though, the district provides "courtesy rides" to students in areas where walking conditions are "less than optimal," but not bad enough to be considered hazardous.

"We are looking at discontinuing some of those courtesy riders," Gadd said.

Even as the school board plans its budget, the district and United School Employees of Pasco have been trying to negotiate a contract for the coming school year.

Robert Benjamin, a business representative for the union, urged board members to make employee salaries their top priority.

If employees don't receive a pay increase, it would be the same as a pay cut because of inflation, Benjamin said at a board meeting after the budget workshop.

The union also wants the school district to reconsider the amount of money it keeps in reserve funds and possibly use some of that money for salaries, said Jim Ciadella, another union business representative.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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