» TOP STORY What It All Means
SCHOOL CHIEFS SAY SEQUESTER CUTS COULD LEAD TO LAYOFFS, FEWER BUS ROUTES
HEARD AROUND THE 2013 AASA CONFERENCE…
WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER
it means some of their federal funding will be held back, impacting 2013-2014 budgets. Budget cuts are never good news, but on the positive side, the automatic, across-the- board cuts will occur gradually and may prove less punitive when congressional leaders finally agree on a budget plan. For now, school superintendents plan
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on having fewer federal dollars to support IDEA, Head Start and Title I programs, which provide much-needed grants to indi- vidual districts. Because transportation is a related service, it figures to be hurt, too. Noelle Ellerson, spokeswoman for the
American Association of School Administra- tors (AASA), told STN she has heard from several superintendents who are “very stressed” about having to slice 8 to 10 percent from their budget pie for the upcoming school year. “We have counseled school districts to
brace for the cuts,” said Ellerson. “We’re telling them they will feel these cuts in August. Te federal funds they will have in the next school year will all be cut.” At AASA’s National Conference on
14 School Transportation News April 2013
hile the definition of “se- questration” once seemed murky, now it is crystal clear to school officials that
Education in Los Angeles in February, STN spoke to school superintendents from across the nation, hailing from districts large and small, about their budget concerns in light of the sequester that was triggered on March 1. Merrianne Dyer, who has worked with Gainesville (Ga.) City Schools for 26 years, including five as superintendent, estimated a budget shortfall of 9 to 11 percent. As a re- sult, the district has held back that amount from every federal funding stream. “We figured if we did that, the projection was that [the cut] would not be greater, and if indeed it turns out to be 8 percent, then we’ll be in good shape,” she said. “We’re most concerned about special-education funding. To meet federal requirements, you have to provide the services that children come in with, and it’s impossible to plan when we don’t know the numbers for next year.”
OTHER WAYS TO TIGHTEN Of Gainesville’s 7,500 students who are
transported, about 68 percent qualify for Title I programs and 11 percent have an IEP that requires transportation service. Gainesville provides school bus service to about 4,200 students, she noted, and some special needs students require services in
“We have planned for some
of the (sequester) cuts, like the Title I and special-ed cuts … We also use Perkins money to buy new equipment and to run our programs.” — Gary Brown, superintendent, Old Colony Regional Vocational Tech, Rochester, Mass.
“It’s a guessing game
between the federal cuts and what our state is going to do, and how many students we will have. So, you consider all those factors and you take your best shot about where your budget is going to be.” — Jay Haugen, superintendent, Farmington (Minn.) ISD
“We haven’t really talked about the sequester as much as we have our own economic challenges. There have been major budget cuts, tax cuts and more proposed, so we’re nervous about that.” — Marlin Berry, Superintendent, Olathe (Kansas) USD
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