School board doesn’t want county commissioners telling how to spend funds

Teachers in Rowan-Salisbury Schools will again receive money for classroom supplies, school board members appeared to agree this morning.

But while the board will commit $375,000 in county tax dollars for supplies, they don’t like the Rowan County Board of Commissioners telling them to how to manage money.

“They’re doing our job instead of giving us the money and letting us decide what to do,” said David Aycoth, chairman of the school board’s budget and finance committee. “None of this is good for our public education system.

“...It’s smoke and mirrors and it’s all about politics, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Who knows best how to spend money for the school system?” associate superintendent Howard Hurt asked. “Hopefully, the staff that was hired to do that.”

In a letter sent Monday to Superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby, commissioners asked the school board to commit $375,000 for classroom supplies — unless commissioners authorize the school board to spend it elsewhere. The money is part of about $24.5 million that the county government is set to give Rowan-Salisbury Schools in fiscal year 2001-2002 for operations.

In past years, teachers have received as much as $500 each to use at their own discretion for classroom supplies. This year school board members considered offering the money only to first-year teachers.

This morning administrators informed the board that the county’s requirement to spend $375,000 on classroom supply money could hurt other areas.

To cut costs, Bill Bucher, the school system’s finance officer, said he’s looked at everything from freezing unfilled positions to reducing air-conditioning use to conserve power.

The school system staff was to meet this afternoon to look for more ways to cut about 6 percent for the coming school year — about $1.3 million. They say the cuts are necessary to avoid a dangerously low fund balance.

“Overall, our budget is as tight as I’ve ever seen in my 20 years as finance officer,” Bucher said.

This morning four of seven school board members met to pass a temporary spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Aycoth suggested a way that commissioners can manage their own money: a 1-cent property tax increase. A 1-cent increase would generate $750,000. That still wouldn’t cover the difference, he said, but it would help.

“Not raising taxes is more important than education. That’s the message I’m hearing,” Aycoth said. “I wanted to be a team with the commissioners, but I can see it’s going to be an adversarial relationship.”

Contact Brad A. Hodges at 704-797-4266 or bhodges@salisburypost.com .