Schools

Manassas Park School Superintendent Proposes $35.7 Million Budget

Pay increase for school district employees not likely, but more teachers and school buses could be added.

Manassas Park City Schools Superintendent Dr. Bruce McDade proposed a $35. 7 million operating budget for the district’s four schools for fiscal year 2012—about 1.6 million more than what was needed to operate the schools in the previous year.

 McDade and the district’s administrative staff presented the proposal to the Manassas Park School Board during its monthly meeting Monday evening.

 Of the $35.7 million, $29.6 million is for operations, 4.7 million goes toward required debt payments, $1.3 million goes toward food services and $6,000 is for medical primary payments for retirees who converted their unused sick leave, Krista Kelly, director of financial services for Manassas Park City Schools, told the board Monday.

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 "This budget is presented on behalf of our Superintendent Dr. Bruce McDade with input from all our stakeholders,” Kelly said. “It is based on the desire to help all of the people who make up Manassas Park City Schools continue to succeed.”

 One in five people in Manassas Park is a student in the school division, Kelly said.

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 Before the proposed budget was released, faculty, staff and residents told school administrators what they thought should be a priority.

 Some stakeholders proposed an increase in compensation for school district employees, along with smaller class sizes, Kelly said.

 After going though the numbers, it seems unlikely that staff compensation will increase, she said.

 “As much as everyone would like to see true salary increases included as part of the budget, it is simply not feasible at this time,” she told the board.

McDade said it is a choice between more teachers to reduce class sizes or raises in pay.

"However, the reality is, we cannot do both," he said.

 But there are potential changes in the coming months that could allow administrators to consider this option, Kelly added.

 There could be increases in federal and state funding for specific programs that will free up other funds or, the city could exceed its revenue projection, providing the schools with more money, she said.

 More than half of the city’s non-revenue operating budget goes to Manassas Park City Schools.

 If there is money for salary increases, teachers, bus drivers, custodians, assistant principals, support staff, food services workers and maintenance employees will see a raise in pay, Kelly said.

 That raise would be very little, probably in the range of .5 to 1 percent, Kelly said.

 McDade’s budget calls for the removal of furlough days, which would increase the take-home pay of employees by an average of 1.5 percent.

 Manassas Park was one of only two school districts in Northern Virginia to furlough employees this school year.

 Furloughs saved the district some $250,000, according to data released by the school division.

 The furlough days were apparently well received by some school district employees.

 Kelly said that some employees enjoyed the extra time off around the holidays and even made suggestions about when furlough days should be implemented next year.

 In addition to the elimination of furloughs, the budget proposes the hiring of more teachers.

 Each principal was polled about the needs of his or her school and it was determined that five positions were needed to keep class sizes low, Kelly said.

 School district officials are not expecting a large increase in the number of children enrolling in the school district as it has in past years, she added.

 The budget also allows for three new school buses to be purchased, as there is only one spare bus and the ones that operate each day are at capacity.

 To illustrate, who and what the money would be used for, Kelly presented a media slideshow with students and employees from each of the city's schools.

 The slideshow featured children saying, “I am Manassas Park” in four languages, including, Vietnamese and Urdu.

 Data shows that more than 42 languages are spoken in the homes of Manassas Park students.

 Some students are struggling to learn English, she said.

Others have conversational fluency, but lack the academic skills they need.

More than 28 percent are classified as English learners, Kelly said.

 About 12 percent of the student population in Manassas Park City Schools is special needs children.

Special needs includes students with learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, emotional disturbance and autism.

Tuesday will feature a special story about diversity in Manassas park and the school system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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