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By SHARON KILPATRICK
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
The majority of the larger than usual crowd that attended the Board of Supervisors public hearing on the school budget supported passing the budget with no further cuts.
Some even suggested adding to it. However, there were a few people who opposed any increase in taxes. Most of them also spoke against Goals 2000 funding, even though there are no Goals 2000 funds in the budget.
School Superintendent David Gangel told of the difficult decisions that had gone into the proposed budget. Most of the increase, which will require a four-cent addition to the real estate tax, is for spending that is required or for raises for teachers and other school system employees.
He noted that both the state and federal governments are cutting back on support for Rappahannock’s schools. “In the end if we are going to have quality public schools, it is falling on the locality,” he said. He noted that the School Board had already cut the budget by $118,000. Four positions have been cut, he said. “These are not just employees; they are friends, neighbors, colleagues. Three of the four are Rappahannock residents,” he added.
He said the cuts made so far “will have a minimum impact on students. If there is a significant [further] reduction, it will have an impact on students, and it could be a significant impact.” If the raises are reduced, “We may not be able to attract the people we want. We may not be able to maintain the people we’ve got. If you take away salary competitiveness, it will affect you for years to come. I have never seen a time when we say ‘this is the year to catch up.’”
He said cutting personnel and having larger classes or postponing maintenance would also harm education and could cost more in the long run.
He said there were many legitimate requests for the school system that are not in the budget. “We did not request an additional Spanish teacher, but we need one. We need an art teacher. We cannot offer art across the board. I’m not asking for an art teacher, but we need one. We did not ask for an additional PE teacher, but we need one. Look at the rest rooms. They need renovation. We’re not asking for that. We cannot host
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