After recent budget cuts and the certain threat of future budget cuts expected from the state, the Hampton School District Two board decided to cut 50 positions after meeting with Superintendent Dr. Deonia Simmons to hear his recommendations last Monday. These cuts will be for the 2010-11 school year.
"We are looking at reducing 50 staff persons from the district office all the way down to the school," said Simmons in an interview on Tuesday.
This is after a March 9 budget workshop with the board where it became evident that the cuts would have to come from somewhere.
"We have to make some cuts," said Chief Financial Officer J.J. Orr, who reiterated what auditor Peyton Warren said to the district when he presented the audit. "They (the state) are almost forcing us to make these cuts."
The board and administration were able to preserve jobs at Hampton Two without furloughs this year, but they had to dip into reserve funds to do so. Hampton Two was one of the very few districts that didn't have to furlough personnel this current school year.
"We went everywhere we could to save jobs," said Board Chairman Rev. Benjamin Burison at the budget workshop. "We did it to save these folks their jobs. We have done everything we know how to do."
There will be a projected $2.4 million reduction in the budget for Hampton Two next school year. Even though the district was given stimulus funds, those stimulus funds will not be available after next year. The news gets worse for Hampton Two. Orr is expecting additional cuts. He said there would be a 15 percent cut across the state with a six percent cut to education for this upcoming school year.
Of the 50 employees to be cut, an estimated 21 to 22 are retirees. Retirees are people who work for the district who have already retired from the state and come back to the district to work. They are people who are getting full retirement from the state and getting a full salary from the district.
In many cases retirees are at the top of the salary schedule for the district. Salary schedules for school districts are based on years of experience and education. The more years of experience you have, the more you are paid. The higher your educational attainment the more you are paid.
"The board has accepted my recommendation to release all our retirees with the understanding that should a vacancy become available that they are eligible for they will have the opportunity to interview for that position," said Simmons.
For the rest of the employees to be cut, District Two is using its reduction in force policy. The reduction of force policy is based on: certification, professional experience, number of years in the district, performance evaluations, attendance records, supervisor recommendations, and specific program needs at the school.
At the budget workshop Burison said it was important that the administration and board take the time to do the cuts the right way. He said he didn't want to play politics with people's lives.
Simmons told the board they needed to make the cuts as soon as possible to give personnel time to find another job before the beginning of the next school year.
On Wednesday, Simmons will meet with retirees and administrators. He did not want to comment further until he had let them know first that they were being cut.
"I have to make them aware before I tell anyone else," said Simmons.
According to board member Bruce Davis, president of the S.C. School Board Association, there are 18 school districts in the state that do not know how they will open next school term.
"Every district in the state is going to be cutting jobs," said Davis.
Even with the cuts, Hampton District Two is expected to be at or below the state's requirement for class size.
"I think we will be okay with class size," said Simmons.