Board members watching, waiting on stimulus funds
By Kathleen Vail
05/09 -- Many questions remain about the money coming in the federal stimulus package, and school board members attending the conference said they are playing a waiting game to find out how much money they will get and how it will be spent.
“We’re not sure we’re getting any” stimulus money, said Sandra Stevenson of Indiana’s Frankfort Community School Board.
Stevenson said Indiana’s school districts are waiting to hear from the state department of education about their share of the billions in stimulus funds approved by Congress earlier this year. But she and board colleague Joyce Jacobs already have plans for the money: More funding for full-day kindergarten, special education, and the continuation of current programs put into place over the past couple of years.
Cathy Shaffer, a board member with Pennsylvania’s York Suburban District, is in the same situation, waiting and hoping.
“We think we know, but we’re not sure,” she said, noting she wants to spend any stimulus funds on unfunded mandates. “It would be like counting our chickens before they are hatched.”
Shaffer’s district is one of a handful in Pennsylvania that continues to grow annually, but state funding remains based on 1991 enrollment numbers. “We have grown tremendously, but we’re not getting funds based on our enrollment,” she said.
Royce Paige of Virginia’s Charles City School Board said his district is getting $600,000, which will be split between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 budgets. The state has not told districts when they’re getting the money, either.
“I don’t think the state knows when,” he said, noting the funds will be spent on special education and to meet No Child Left Behind mandates.
Paige, a 15-year board member, said he was overjoyed when he heard that schools were part of the stimulus package. “I was in the midst of dealing with $1 million in budget cuts,” he said. “It’s been an interesting year. You learn from your frustrations.”
Dennis Bearden and Bruce Wyke, of the Trenton, Mich., school board, know what their district will receive.
“We have a unique situation,” Bearden said, referring to severe funding cuts the state has been forced to make because of its serious economic situation.
Wyke and Bearden said they appreciate the stimulus dollars, but they worry what will happen when the money runs out. While the funds might stave off layoffs for the next budget year, the cuts could double in 2010-11.
“We hope the economy turns around,” said Bearden, “but school boards can’t plan for a hope.”
Wyke said the money puts his district in a Catch-22, noting that it’s not ongoing funding.
“It’s a challenge,” said Bearden.
Districts look for creative ways to save
With budget shortfalls looming, even with the promise of federal stimulus money, school board members and other conference attendees say they are looking for creative ways to save money without cutting programs or sacrificing student achievement.
“Think outside the box,” said Dawn Henry, superintendent of secondary instruction at West Baton Rouge Parish in Port Allen, La. Her colleague, educational technology supervisor Tammy Seneca, said she is using free open source software for students and for teacher professional development to save money.
Seneca said her department researches free options before they develop programs. “We see if something’s out there for free that would work.”
Board members in Arizona’s Vail Unified School District are saving money by replacing textbooks with digital content. “We need one computer per student, as opposed to eight textbooks per kid,” said board member Margaret Burkholder.
Florida’s Pasco County Public Schools was green before it was trendy, having started a large recycling program 15 years ago. Karen Bryant, Pasco’s recycling coordinator, estimated that the program saves the district about $100,000 a year. “We have strong board and superintendent support,” she said. “That’s nice when you’re in the middle of budget cuts.”