Johns Warns Class Reductions, Teacher Raises Could Eliminate Specialty Programs

Prince William County Schools Chairman-at-Large Milt Johns does not believe that a move to a zero-based budget will be effective in achieving the goal of reducing class sizes and increasing compensation for teachers.

Zero-based budgeting requires planners to build a budget from zero, requiring every line item be approved.

Following a presentation to the school board Wednesday evening by Associate Superintendent for Finance & Support Dave Cline, Johns expressed his concern that a new budgeting process would not resolve the fundamental issues before the school division.

Johns said that it would take bold strokes to raise the millions of dollars needed each year to achieve those objectives.

"This is my concern, the issue we have with class sizes and teacher compensation, if we are really serious about it, we're not going to do it with shaving $10,000 here and there out of the budget," he said. "For a 1-percent increase in teacher compensation, we are looking at $5-7 million, and that has to happen every year...we're not going to find that by taking cars away from staff, were not going to find that frankly by firing everyone in the Kelly building. That would work one time plus all the programs would go away."

He added that it would cost $15-17 million to reduce class sizes by one student across all grade levels, not taking into account that the school division would need additional facilities to hold these students.

"Maybe we are in the situation where we have to cut specialty programs; we have to increase walking boundaries; we have to get rid of sport programs; we have to get rid of other discretionary programs."[/pullquote]

To illustrate the fundamental enormity of the funding issues, he mused that it would take a gesture such as eliminating the district's specialty programs to address the most basic goals of teacher compensation and class size reduction.

"Our discussion has to be what are really the fundamental components of our school system...If we do away with specialty programs, maybe that's $5-7 million including transportation and so forth," he said. "We can trade that off for a 1-percent compensation; I have my own inclinations as to what the public reactions would be to that, and frankly, the teachers reactions to that."

To begin to address these issues, he said the school division has to look at its core priorities.

"Maybe we are in the situation where we have to cut specialty programs; we have to increase walking boundaries; we have to get rid of sport programs; we have to get rid of other discretionary programs."

He suggested that the school division does not need to address those priorities during the budgeting cycle; they can be put on a future agenda and discussed.

"If we are serious about class sizes and teacher pay, we have to do one of two things as suggested, looking at priorities for big ticket items that are luxuries or as and suggested, we have to take a position on the revenue stream and what it really takes to maintain and educate our children."

The board asked Cline to make a presentation about zero-based budgeting prior to the end of the last school year at the prior request of Brentsville District board member Gil Trenum.