By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

The Rappahannock School Board heard Superintendent David Cancel's recommendations for cuts to ; the school budget, but voted to delay final approval of ; the amended budget until May 25. ' ; The School Board will meet at its office at noon : that day and will vote whether to approve Dr. Gangel’s recommendations as submitted. If his suggesI tions are affirmed, the school budget will have met i the “bottom linb” figure approved by the Board of Supervisors that decided to give the superintendent and the School Board authority to make the necessary cuts where they thought appropriate, rather than making specific cuts themselves.

Dr. Gangel had recommended numerous small cuts to many budget line items in order to keep the eight percent pay raises for all employees. “It will be extremely tight,” he said. “But morale is important. We have asked more of people this year than before, and we will be asking more next year.” i “The supervisors have had a difficult job,” he said. “I respect their decision. It is one thing asking for money and another opening your purse. I think they have done the best they could possibly do,” he continued.

“We have all the major instructional items intact in the budget,” he said. With the cuts he recommended, “wre can recover the eight percent across the board raise for all employees.” Of the $1,100 per employee requested for health insurance benefits, the schools will be able to fund between $850 and $1,000, he said. “We won’t know how much until we know the number of participants,” he said. “The pie is so big, and it’s just a matter of dividing the pie,” he added.

Among the cuts Dr. Gangel proposed were $6,000 from the margin for hiring for elementary teachers, and $3,000 from the margin for hiring for high school teachers. He also proposed to eliminate increases for extra duty such as coaches’ supplements and pay for sponsors of activity clubs. These were scheduled for eight percent raises also. With no increases, $1,611 would be saved.

Other proposed cuts would be $2,000 from the artist-in-residence program, $3,238 from instructional supplies arid $1,000 from the county supplement to the textbook rental system. Dr. Gangel also proposed to save $639 by not expanding the number of bus trips allowed beyond those required because the school van is no longer available to transport students.

Other categories trimmed by the superintendent’s knife would be $3,000 in the line item for repair and replacement of equipment, $9,500 from the line item for contracted service of buildings and grounds, and $4,000 from the line item for purchasing new fur■ • niture and equipment. These cuts involve many items, including eliminating the covered walkway to the mobile units at the elementary' school, and the purchase of a Hepa-Vac for asbestos cleanup. The superintendent’s proposal would also cut from $5,000 to $100 money for unexpected maintenance expenses.

The School Board gave Dr. Gangel permission to go ahead with teachers’ contracts even though they