School Board, supervisors seek common objective

The Culpeper County School Board wants next year’s operating budget process to be smoother than ever.

That’s why it met with the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors — the governing body that appropriates funding countywide — Wednesday night to discuss alternatives for the 2009 fiscal year operating budget inside the Culpeper County High School auditorium.

Supervisor Steve Nixon suggested that both boards come together and agree on one common objective — whatever that may be.

“The School Board and the Board of Supervisors need to agree on what the goals are,” he said. “We need to get our goals more in line and then look at the revenues that we have and what we’re able to do and then fund those goals.”

“We need to have some sort of middle ground,” Nixon added.

School Board member Elizabeth Hutchins indicated the fact that both boards usually strive for different objectives.

“Our goals are more focused on student achievement and that’s where we set the bar high to strive for,” she said. “Not that the supervisors don’t want our children to achieve, that’s not what I’m saying. We (just) have two different functions.”

Hutchins suggested looking to other counties as a guide to help solve the annual financial obstacles.

“If there’s a better process somewhere else in another county that we can look at and glean portions from to assist us, I’m willing to look at it,” Hutchins said. “I’m willing to turn over every stone so that we can come to a better process that will help our county and help our students as well.”

Supervisor Sue Hansohn recommended that the School Board adjust it’s budget request closer to meet Culpeper Administrator Frank Bossio’s estimate — historically released in December or January — instead of relying on Superintendent David Cox’s “needs” projections revealed in September.

“Even though (Bossio) can’t guarantee it, he’s giving you a really good estimate,” she said. “So maybe at that point you can really put together your budget.”

Background
During this year’s budget development, Cox initially presented his $17.1 million to the School Board in September.

Three months later, the state and county released preliminary figures suggesting drastically different revenue projections for the school system.

Meanwhile, school officials and administrators learned about the county’s nearly $4 million shortfall in February causing them to whittle down the figures.

Finally, the Supervisors released its estimated figures in April and appropriated $1.8 million in new revenue to the school system — thanks to a 5-cent hike in real estate taxes — and for the entire county and numerous outside agencies earlier this month.

The supervisors also granted a one-time allowance from the general fund to help the system open and operate the county’s two new schools: Eastern View High and Yowell Elementary schools.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or .