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No cheering at the school
By Jed Duvall
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The Rappahannock Board of Supervisors ordered that- more be squeezed out of the school budget, and that is what happened Tuesday evening at the meeting of the county’s school board. The five board members, led by Superintendent Dr. Robert Chappell, obeyed the supervisors' instructions and wrenched another quartermillion dollars out of the nearly $12 million budget for the coming school year, ’08-’09.
Where to get $250,000'’ Take it from the teachers, mainly. Or, to be more precise, take it from teaching.
Removing one teaching position t hat the school board had put in saved $64,000. Covering a course in math with existing teachers got another $19,500. Follow the reduction in the number of students electing to study French, and - voila! - another $27,500 goes away. Do another personnel “stretch" in the drama department and save more than $31,000.
Save another $40,000 plus by postponing the purchase of a new bus. with Chappell lamenting that eight of the buses now are alive and running past their planned retirement age of 12 years.
Then, arrive at the quarter-million mark with the biggest chop of all: Cut the proposed across-the-board salary increase from 3.5 percent to 2.5 percent That cutback, as the teachers, the aides, the Custodians, the maintenance people, the administrators all know, leaves them well'behind inflation.
Chappell told the board that he had presented this news earlier in the day to u stall' meeting Later, the superintendent told reporters that some 60 to 75 people were m the room hearing him tick off the cuts. How did his audience react at that staff meeting”’ “They didn’t cheer." he said.
Moments later, Chappell had this observation about those who make the schools work “I think there is a feeling among some of our staff" — he stopped to emphasize “some, not all" — “there is this feeling among some of our staff that the county doesn t support education."
Board members were not cheering, either.
“Everyone |m.v| first time on this board I really feel for the welfare (of students| in this school system." Meredith (torfein said “This is really regrettable to me . that it has come to this "
No one was happy, but they voted dutifully. 5-0. to accept the cuts.
49.9%