By Lawrence Emerson
FauquierNow.com Editor

Fauquier’s school superintendent Monday night made good on his promise to propose a “significant increase” in spending.

Dr. Jonathan Lewis unveiled a fiscal 2013 budget proposal that would require $5 million more from county government.

His recommended school budget totals $130.2 million, an increase of 9.3 percent.

That represents an increase of $11 million from this year’s budget of $119.2 million.

The school system’s 1,900 employees would receive average raises of 3 percent under Dr. Lewis’ proposal. They have received no raise in four years.

“After four years, it’s time for our employees to get a salary increase,” Dr. Lewis said during his 30-minute presentation at Liberty High School.

Fauquier anticipates a $5.3 million increase in state funding for local schools. That results primarily from a change in the “composite index,” Virginia’s complex formula for school funding.

The state funding increase would cover almost half of the superintendent’s proposed budget hike. But, greater costs for health insurance and Virginia Retirement System benefits will total an estimated $5.56 million — wiping out any gain in funds from Richmond.

Salaries at 62 percent and benefits at 26 percent account for 88 percent of the school system operating budget.

The superintendent’s proposal calls for employees to pay greater portions of their health insurance premiums. Despite rapidly rising costs, the school system has paid virtually all premiums for employees as a way to soften the lack of salary increases.

Employees would pay 5, 10, 15 or 20 percent of the premiums, depending upon which of the four coverage plans they choose.

“Even with these increases, our health care costs (for employees) compare favorably” with other school systems in the region and around Virginia, Dr. Lewis said.

Teachers in their first several years on the salary scale would get raises less than 3 percent. That would help “decompress” the salary scale, which the lack of raises recently skewed, according to the superintendent.

Additionally, the school board would use $400,000 to improve salaries for targeted employee groups, Dr. Lewis said.

The proposed raises would add $3 million to the budget.

The superintendent proposes $1.14 million in “operations restoration” funding, to include:
• $500,450 for school bus replacement.
• $271,279 for materials and supplies.
• $107,933 for textbooks.
• $60,000 for the teacher resource center.
• $41,000 for summer school.
• $10,000 for first-grade testing.

Operational increases include:
• $199,892 to eliminate the fee parents pay for consumable items. That fee is $12 for kindergarten through fifth grade, $20 for sixth through eighth grade, and $25 for high school.

But, several parents at last week’s Center District “town hall” meeting said they would prefer to continue paying the fee if it would help fund teacher raises or protect expenditures for programs such as music, sports and kindergarten aides.

Dr. Lewis listed elimination of the fee as one of his budget priorities.

• $160,000 more in energy costs, despite conservation efforts that have reduced consumption 8 percent.

• $59,000 more for high school bands to reduce fund-raising pressure on students and parents.

Additionally, school breakfast prices would rise 5 cents and lunches would increase 10 cents.

School system leaders in recent years realized they had to absorb more than $8 million in county funding cuts because of economic conditions, Dr. Lewis said.

As the economy improves, his proposed budget reflects “the needs,” he said. “I don’t see anything in this budget that remotely represents fluff. It’s all nuts and bolts.”

Dr. Lewis acknowledged some of the increases “are rather extraordinary. But, those are the realities.”

Based on their Jan. 23 discussion, when Dr. Lewis outlined his priorities and his plan to propose a “significant increase,” school board members seem likely to support his budget.

If so, it will come down to the board of supervisors, which sets local tax rates and allocates funding.

Dr. Lewis seeks approximately $81.9 in county funding, an increase of $5 million or 6.6 percent.

That would require the supervisors to cut funding elsewhere, raise the real estate tax or use a combination of those methods.

Other departments — including emergency services, the sheriff’s office and the commonwealth’s attorney — also have requested budget increases. Emergency services, for example, wants to hire 22 more firefighter/medics to improve coverage and response time throughout Fauquier. That would cost $1.5 million.

The supervisors have expressed no support for a tax increase.

“I have no formal guidance from the board as a whole,” County Admininistrator Paul McCulla said of his budget preparations. “However, I did meet with each member individually before I began to craft my budget and was told by a majority of the board that they did not favor a tax increase.

“As such the budget I will present (Feb. 23) will not include a tax increase.”

County government expects about $2.5 million more in revenue in fiscal 2013, which begins July 1. If the supervisors allocate that new money proportionally, the school system would get an additional $1.6 million or 65 percent of the total.

School budget calendar

• Thursday, Feb. 23 — County Administrator Paul McCulla presents his proposed county budget (including schools) to the board of supervisors.

• Monday, Feb. 27 – School board work session at 6 p.m. in the school administration conference room.

• Thursday, March 8 – Joint budget work session between board of supervisors and school board. Time and place to be announced.
 
• Monday, March 12 – School board meeting and budget public hearing, 7 p.m. at Warrenton Middle School.

• Thursday, March 15 — Board of supervisors public hearing on total county budget.

• Monday, March 26 — School board approves budget.

• Wednesday, March 28 — Board of supervisors adopts budget.

• Tuesday, April 10 — School board adopts final budget.

• Sunday, July 1 — Fiscal 2013 begins.

> Sign up for e-mail news alerts from FauquierNow.com

> “Like” FauquierNow.com on Facebook