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Schools Bracing For Cuts

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: November 20, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Pasco County School Board members are preparing for more spending cuts after learning Tuesday evening that the school district faces a potential shortfall of $15 million to $16 million.

"It's not pretty," board Chairman Frank Parker said.

The board plans a workshop Dec. 1 to discuss how best to revise this year's spending plan.

The need to cut the budget isn't a surprise. The district has been anticipating that inevitability for months. The only question was how deep the cuts might go.

The picture is starting to become clearer, though Olga Swinson, the district's chief finance officer, said the exact number isn't official.

"We'll know more on Friday," Swinson said.

The state Department of Education told Pasco and other districts to prepare for cuts before the end of the year.

Pasco, though, expects an additional budget cut because enrollment was about 1,000 fewer students than anticipated. Swinson said that would cost the district about $3.5 million. State funding is based on the number of students. Enrollment projections are made before the school year starts, but an official count takes place in October. Since Pasco numbers were lower than expected, funding will be cut.

One of the cuts the state Department of Education has suggested is to stop giving the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in the summer. That would mean high school seniors would have one less opportunity to pass the test, which is a requirement to earn a diploma.

"This will be a major issue for some of them," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

This has been a tight budget year for Pasco and school districts across the state. Pasco began the budget year by making $16 million in spending cuts.

Meanwhile, the district and United School Employees of Pasco are at an impasse in contract negotiations. The district and the union are scheduled to meet in a mediation session today in an effort to find common ground.

If that doesn't work, they could be headed to an impasse hearing before a special magistrate.

Employees haven't received raises or their annual step increases in pay. Jim Ciadella, a business representative for the union, said "people are working harder than ever" and at the same time facing concerns about financial issues.

"We hope there's a way to at least look at step increases," Ciadella said.

Robert Benjamin, another union business representative, said the union was unhappy to read in a recent newspaper article that the district might consider using part of its reserve fund for the budget shortfall.

The union had suggested the district use money from the reserves to pay for raises, but had been told dipping into the reserves would affect the district's bond rating, he said.

Patrick Connolly, a teacher at Land O' Lakes High, told the board he's tired of hearing that the district doesn't have enough money, especially when "every day I witness waste of district resources."

As an example, he waved an informational brochure the district recently published.

Connolly said he's fed up of hearing that money is in a "different pocket" of the budget and can't be used for raises. It's all tax money, he said, so "it's going to come out of my pocket."

A large portion of the school board's $1.2 billion budget is in the capital projects fund. In addition, much of the money allocated by the state is in categorical funding, with its use limited to specific categories.

Connolly suggested it might be time for board members to approach legislators about changing that.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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