Schools
Cherokee Restores School Calendar to 180 Days
The fiscal year 2013-14 budget will include no tax increases, and also reduces furlough days for employees from eight to three.
Another round of budget cuts will allow the Cherokee County School District to restore its school year calendar back to the 180-day standard.
Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo made the announcement during Wednesday night's meeting, which the board voted to adopted Petruzielo's recommended 2013-14 budget.
In turn, the move will also allow the district to reduce the number of furlough days from eight to three for its employees, and also allocate one graduation coach position that would work with students in the district's high schools.
Petruzielo's announcement received thunderous applause from the audience, many of which also came out to see how the board would proceed in whether an ethics hearing would be scheduled for District 1 member Kelly Marlow.
The superintendent noted the district had to eliminate its high school graduation coach positions as the state cut funding for the program. While the district won't be able to put a coach in each of its high schools, Petruzielo added he "thinks it’s a step in the right direction."
Along with allocating a position, the district has created a graduation rate committee made up of district employees and community representatives.
The committee will review the district and state's graduation rate, "review rate reporting practices and corresponding state rules and existing efforts to increase graduation rates," according to a school district memo.
The balanced budget is set at $496 million, which includes $321.9 million operating budget; $89.5 million in its building fund; $51 million in debt service; $12 million in federal and state grants; $19.3 in school food service fund; and $2.1 million in what's labeled other funds.
It also includes $47.58 million for its 2013-14 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) construction program.
The budget was approved with the district leaving its 19.85 millage rate in place, which Petruzielo said "has been the case for 14 out of the last 15 years."
Several residents who took the opportunity to speak did criticize the district's spending, and the amount of bond debt the district has accumulated since it's implemented its SPLOST program.
One resident, Susan Tlacil, noted "People who didn’t even vote will be paying for this shamefulness," referring to the projection that the district will pay off the debt generated through the SPLOST in 2033.
Petruzielo said many community leaders and stakeholders came together shortly after he came to Cherokee County in 1999 to determine how they would build quality infrastructure so students can receive a quality education in first-class facilities.
Petruzielo noted committee of stakeholders felt the "primary option" was to bond future sales tax revenue to generate the money needed to build infrastructure for the schools.
What the board has done since then was to follow the recommendation of that ad-hoc committee established nearly 15 years ago.
The district was adding 1,500 children each year during the heyday of the economic boom and the district not only built new schools, but also replaced older, "outdated schools" that did not have enough space to accommodate children in places such as its cafeteria and media centers," Petruzielo noted.
"I, for one, am not going to make any excuses for the fact there that there is debt associated with the capital outlay infrastructure that’s been put in place in this school system and in this community," he added. "Frankly, you can't go anywhere in Cherokee County without a very nice Cherokee County school that adds to the community that it resides in."
Several speakers also criticized the district's handling of its finances, and alluded to the district in 2012 receiving a downgrade of its credit rating from AA1 to AA2. However, that downgrade, according to Bryce Holcomb of CitiGroup, has nothing to do with the amount of debt the district has.The downgrade has more to do with the district nearing the 20 mill cap on its tax levy rate, "which limits your ability to raise revenue moving forward," Holcomb added.
He also said the district, like many others in the state, had to utilize its reserves to cover dwindling state funding. Only Cobb and Gwinnett County schools, Holcomb added, have the AAA rating, the highest given out by Moody's.
Robert Morrison, financial advisor with the district, noted he felt the downgrade of the district's rating was not and is not "front page news."
"The things that have happen were totally out of the school board’s hands," he said, referring to the economic downturn and state austerity cuts.
The superintendent also took the time to address several residents who spoke during the meeting in support of Marlow, and said the District 1 board member was being singled out because she started to ask questions about the board's budget and how it handles its revenue.
"This notion that some how a board member has asked questions that have not been answered is absolutely irresponsible," he said, which drew heavy applause from the audience. "We have answered the same questions over and over and over again."
The superintendent went on to say the district has nothing to hide, does not play favorites with residents and answers every question his staff receives.
"That’s the kind of system we are," he added.
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