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Schools May Lose $9.2 Million More

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: February 19, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - The budget news for the Pasco County School District just keeps getting grimmer.

After a series of multimillion-dollar cuts this school year, the state Department of Education has told the district to prepare to cut an additional $9.2 million.

That means the school board is looking at yet another revision to its spending plans.

"I have never done so many budgets in my entire political career as I have this year," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino told the school board Tuesday evening.

On top of the latest bad news, Fiorentino said, the state also has told Pasco to expect additional cuts in 2009-10 of as much as $35 million.

One of the biggest problems the district faces, Fiorentino said, is that the $9.2 million cut would come at a time when there are less than five months left in the fiscal year. That doesn't leave a lot of options on where to make the cuts.

At the school board's request, Fiorentino and her staff had previously come up with plans A, B and C to prepare for cuts coming out of Tallahassee that are the result of a revenue shortfall affecting school districts statewide.

Fiorentino said plans A and B have already been exhausted, and the district is well into plan C.

"It looks like we may need a D and an E," board member Allen Altman said.

The school district has taken a number of steps to trim spending, including freezing wages. In addition, teachers and other school employees had to go without raises this year.

Fiorentino said she is waiting to see whether the economic stimulus plan out of Washington will provide any additional funding for the district.
Altman expressed frustration that the board is not further along in making plans for the 2009-10 budget.

Since he took office more than two years ago, Altman has pushed for the board to hold workshops early in the budget process so board members have greater input than they have had in the past.

Other school boards are involved in such workshops, he said.

"We talk about it, but it doesn't happen," Altman said.

Fiorentino said one reason it has not happened is that the district staff has had to focus so much time on revisiting this year's budget that it's been tough to place much emphasis on next year's budget.

The board started this fiscal year by cutting $16 million from the general fund. Since then, there have been an additional $24 million in spending cuts.

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

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