SNOW HILL – School system officials will not adjust the Worcester County Public Schools proposed budget until the Worcester County Commissioners have finalized their budget.
Though the commissioners voted May 9 to approve a maintenance of effort (MOE) budget for the school system, education officials said this week the school board would not yet be making changes to the proposed budget, which was based on a nearly $5 million larger allocation from the county.
“The board of education will likely meet very soon after the county strikes the budget on June 6, as at that time, the local share for the board of education will be finalized,” said Carrie Sterrs, the school system’s coordinator of public relations and special programs.
During a school board meeting last week, Chief Financial Officer Vince Tolbert advised the board that a MOE budget would not allow the school system to fund the cost-of-living adjustment already promised to teachers and support staff. He said the county allocation would actually be $279,000 less than the current year’s allocation.
“Mr. Tolbert was correct in stating without fully funding the board’s FY24 budget request, there is not adequate funding available to meet the previously negotiated salary increases for educators and support staff as well as the agreed upon increases for our bus contractors without making significant cuts that will likely impact programs and materials of instruction that support student learning,” Sterrs said. “Regardless, if the budget struck on June 6, funds the board of education at maintenance of effort, which is $4.5 million less than requested, the negotiating teams will have to go back to the table to renegotiate with both of our associations as well as have discussions with our bus contractors.”
Public schools are a massive failure
This is what happens after you pacify a bully for too long!
My children learned little in Worcester schools and I would say succeeded in SPITE of their schooling there. My oldest’s math computer lab was halted at 6th grade level in elementary school to PREVENT excellence. The BOE owes the taxpayers a full disclosure of exactly what their budget is comprised of; unbelievable arrogance to withhold the requested information.
9:01 – absolutely correct – if they were on the up and up this wouldn’t be an issue. Now it looks like the BOE is hiding stuff. Not a good look with taxpayer money. I want to see it all in detail.