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Luralee Cornwell (right), a teacher at Stafford Senior High School, protests the funding for schools from the Board of Supervisors. Cornwell and others took part in a rally at the county courthouse. |
By MELISSA NIX
No more than a dozen people showed up for a rally outside the Stafford County Courthouse yesterday to protest cuts to the 2007 school budget.
The rally, billed as "The Funeral for Quality Education: Death by a Thousand Cuts," had been organized by the Stafford Education Association.
The gathered teachers and concerned citizens who did attend wore black and carried signs.
Meanwhile, Board of Supervisors members meeting in a work session inside the courthouse agreed unanimously to hold a public forum on giving the school division $1.25 million to cover the amount that imposing athletic and bus fees would raise.
Supervisors also voted yesterday to let schools move $1.4 million allocated for debt service to the school operating budget. The state had granted the system a one-time debt service credit in that amount.
Every little bit helps. The school system is facing a $14.2 million budget gap. Superintendent Jean Murray had asked the Board of Supervisors to provide $142 million in local funds.
But supervisors voted last month to provide $120 million for the 2007 school budget. And while that's less than the schools requested, it's $2.7 million more than they got for the current year.
In the interim, school officials have worked to trim $7.8 million in costs.
They cut 100 teaching positions and $2 million in materials and supplies. In order to further reduce costs, the district has been mulling over a $100 per-year school bus fee for students.
Parents have not been happy about the proposed fees and the supervisors' vote yesterday for a public hearing was in direct response to the outcry.
While the "funeral" protest may have been sparsely attended, those present were passionate.
Tom Clark, who teaches ninth- and 10th-graders at Mountain View High School, said the Board of Supervisors' refusal to fully fund the district's budget had effectively "driven a stake through the heart of public education."
"They talk the talk about supporting public education, but when it comes to walking the walk, they cave," said the 15-year veteran teacher. He carried a sign that said "Stafford Schools R.I.P."
"They act like the public school system is some sort of burden to the county," Clark said, adding that each year the budget dynamic has gotten worse.
Stafford Middle School teacher Madaline Vickel carried a sign that said "It was sweet while it lasted." An apple core had been drawn at the bottom.
"I can't believe a group of people who aren't elected to influence education have so much power over education," Vickel said.
Every teacher at the protest said the cuts to the budget mean more crowded classrooms and fewer resources. They'll have to shell out even more of their own money for supplies, many said.
Vickel said she wished the supervisors would visit her classroom.
"These cuts mean more children in my room. I'm having trouble meeting their needs now," she said.
The protest was not without controversy.
A Stafford County school employee used the district's e-mail system to publicize the event, which is against school policy.
Valerie Cottongim, spokeswoman for the school system, said school e-mail can be used only for Stafford County school-related-work. That means no personal e-mails, no e-mail about yard sales, and no e-mails about protests, she added.
"The superintendent is reviewing the matter," she said.
Any disciplinary action will not be disclosed, as it is a personnel matter, Cottongim said.
To reach MELISSA NIX:
Email: mnix@freelancestar.com
