Boards discuss school funding

Published 1:24 am Friday, February 26, 2010

By By BETTY MITCHELL GRAY
Staff writer

Don Phipps, Beaufort County Schools’ new superintendent, got a taste Thursday of what life will be like working with the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners.
The revelation came when he and other school officials met with the commissioners to review school funding and other issues facing the county’s public schools.
Phipps is scheduled to meet again with the commissioners Monday night to continue talks on school funding, discuss the use of the Spanish language by the schools and give an update on the state’s proposed changes in the public-school history curriculum.
Although federal stimulus money has helped the schools make up for state budget cuts in education funding in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 fiscal years, a continued bleak economy and continued state budget cuts could lead to more staff reductions and increases in class size in subsequent years, the commissioners were told.
“That’s our big worry,” said Laurie Modlin, executive director for financial and auxiliary services for the county schools.
Commissioner Stan Deatherage was among those who warned Phipps that school officials might be required to cut the school system’s budget if the county’s economy doesn’t improve.
“The question is ‘Are you prepared to cut spending?’” Deatherage asked. “We’re becoming less and less wealthy in Beaufort County.”
The county schools’ $1.5 million Capital Outlay Project Budget was among the other items discussed at the meeting, but the commissioners delayed until Monday action on a request from the schools to receive some $375,000 in appropriations from the county to cover building projects already under way.
An agreement between the commissioners and the Beaufort County Board of Education requires the two groups to meet quarterly in order for the schools to receive that quarter’s share of money for capital projects.
The commissioners also discussed, but took no action on, a request from Phipps to advance to the schools a portion of the 2010-2011 construction budget to allow the schools to seek bids on installation of a new roof at Washington High School.
In order for the work on the roof to be done during the summer, when school is not in session, bids would have to be received by May, Modlin told the board.
The most recent estimate for installing a new coating on the 116,000-square-foot roof is $376,000, Modlin said. The school system has a reserve in its 2009-2010 capital budget of $153,891 and will need approval for the advance in order to seek bids on the project, she said.
In other business, the board approved a bond reduction request for the Beaufort Pointe Subdivision at the site of the former Whichard’s Beach recreation area on the south side of the Pamlico River. The commissioners approved a reduction to $154,775 of the project’s Phase I bond and a reduction to $146,842 of its Phase II bond.
All commissioners attended the meeting.