The Baldwin County Board of Education, in an effort to overcome a $13 million to $14 million deficit announced during a special called meeting Tuesday night it will take drastic measures through a Reduction-In-Force  plan, resulting in additional layoffs effective by the first of next month.

The Board began by rescinding a resolution asking the Baldwin County Commission for a 1-cent sales and use tax, followed by a discussion of the RIF plan.

The BOE passed the sales tax resolution July 23 and presented it to the Baldwin County Commission for consideration.

Board members were split in their support of and against rescinding the resolution, but the majority felt it was too soon to ask for a higher sales tax.

"I think the public would like to see more cuts made before they are asked to pay more," District 3 Board Member Elmer McDaniel said. "Once they see these cuts and know we have done everything we can, I think they will be more likely to support the tax increase."

“We’re in a very precarious position,” Financial Officer Pam Henson told the board. “Proration hit us twice in the same year, ad valorem taxes are about $2 million short, local revenue sales taxes will continue to drop and we were unable to get debt relief for this year. Our goal is to come up with a zero.”

During a business meeting earlier in the day, Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Faron Hollinger painted the same grim picture.

“We are in a financial crisis,” he told those gathered. “Sales tax revenues are dropping at least 8 percent for fiscal year 2009, and county officials predict a minimum drop of 8 percent for fiscal year 2010. Revenue officials predict ad valorem revenues to drop 13 percent for fiscal year 2010.”

He said budget cuts and proration had hit the system harder than expected.

“In fiscal year ‘09 our state allocation was cut by $12.5 million; in fiscal year ‘09 we were hit with 9 percent proration, which equals $10.5 million; in fiscal year ‘09 we had an additional 2 percent proration which was the equivalent of another $2,450 million,” he said.

He said school systems statewide had been told in recent years to prepare for proration, but were told it would only be 2 percent.

“We were told to prepare for 2 percent proration, then they announced a 12.5 percent proration,” he said. “Fortunately we had the Rainy Day Fund and they used that to reduce the proration to 9 percent. In July they told us they were adding 2 percent proration. Over the last two years we have experienced $54.7 million in lost revenues.”

It doesn’t end there, Hollinger said, with the state superintendent predicting another 6 percent proration for fiscal year 2010. “That’s equal to another $6.4 million, bringing the total possible revenue cuts to $61 million.”

As a result, the board in May 2008 eliminated 115 positions, followed by another 350 in May of this year, including teachers, aides and other support staff. Now, in accordance with the RIF plan, more cuts are imminent.

The plan calls for the immediate termination of all probationary employees, though non-probationary employees are at risk as well.

According to the plan, “staff” will look at all jobs within the system and determine which positions are essential and which positions are not.

District 2 Board Member Robert Wills asked Hollinger to specify "staff." Hollinger said the group will include administrators from the central officers as well as principals. Wills asked that the plan be amended to include a list of who would be making the decisions regarding essential versus non-essential jobs.

Hope Zeanah, principal of Elberta Elementary School, said she was glad to hear the principals will be included in the decision-making.

"I still have non-probationary people that I consider essential, including special education people," she said. "I lost four special education personnel last year."

“It is anticipated that essential positions will be left vacant by the termination of probationary classified personnel … based on seniority and to the extent an employee is otherwise qualified, non-probationary classified employees in positions designated as non-essential will be offered transfers into essential positions vacant,” the plan states.

In layman’s terms, any employee deemed to be in a non-essential position will have their position terminated and will be given the opportunity to transfer to another position within the school system.

What happens if the employee does not want to transfer? “Following (offered transfers), if there are any non-essential, non-probationary classified employees that have not been voluntarily transferred, they will be recommended for termination,” according to the RIF plan.

Hollinger said the plan will look at administration in the central office and assistant principals as well.

Information regarding the number of employees affected was not available.

Hollinger said the layoffs would begin immediately, but District 5 Board Member Angie Swiger pointed out that school had already started. “Since we’re in the middle of the school year how is that going to be seamless,” she asked. 

Hollinger told her he could put off the terminations until Sept. 3, giving time to prepare students and personnel for the change.

Personnel is not the only area the board will look at for elimination, Hollinger said during the earlier meeting. “Revenue cuts can impact instructional programs that enhance academics like the ninth-grade academies. These programs have been very successful in reducing the drop-out rate,” he said. “We will also see the elimination of electives such as art, band, choral, drama, career tech and others and no funds for textbooks.”

Tim Brannan, band director at Gulf Shores High School, said though everyone should be worried, he believes band is not one of the curricula that should be cut.

“As band goes, we’re certainly an essential part, and that’s not just band, but fine arts,” he said. “Fine arts is needed from pre-K all the way up to 12th grade,” he said.

Still more startling was the announcement that a minimum of 20 bus routes would be eliminated, among more critical positions.

“There will be a reduction in critical special education aides to care for our special needs students; a reduction of school lunchroom workers to serve meals to students; a reduction in the number of nurses to provide critical health services to students; a reduction in custodial and clerical employees to provide needed services at schools; and there will be no replacement of computers for students and teachers,” Hollinger said.

Personnel is not the only place the board is looking to streamline, as members also look at facilities, locally-funded programs and local budgets. “We will look at all budgets and reduce them to operational funds only,” he said. Hollinger said the system has already taken measures to try to avoid the current situation, but said it wasn’t enough.

“We have already closed two facilities, frozen salaries for the 2009-2010 school year, reduced personal leave benefits and delayed capital projects,” he said.

The BOE will also seek changes in equity funding. Enacted in the mid 1990s, the state program withholds funds from school systems for distribution to poorer systems across the state.

"The state retains a 10-mill equivalent and instead of sending it to us, they keep it and redistribute it in less affluent school systems," Hollinger said. "It cost us $20 million last  year, $45 million this year and we expect it to go up again next year."

The BOE is now considering a four-day work week, shortening the school year on a temporary basis and seeking legislative action to cap equity funding, provide flexibility with equity funding during proration and provide consideration for rapidly growing school systems.

Unfortunately for the system, as programs and positions are decreasing, enrollment is increasing. “We have experienced 22 percent growth since 2000 and 14 percent since 2004,” Hollinger said. “We had 1,000 more students the first day of school this year than we had the first day last year.”

Parents of some of those students, as well as teachers, administrators and other interested residents filled the meeting room at the Loxley Satellite office.