This budget development guide is provided for parents, students, employees and citizens of Newport News.
Comments, suggestions and questions are welcome. Answers and responses to the most frequently asked questions and topics that generate the most discussion will be posted here.
November 2, 2009: FY 2011 Budget Outlook Presentation at Communications Forum
November 17, 2009: Budget Input Public Hearing
December 10, 2009: FY11 Budget Outlook Presentation at School Board Retreat
January 5, 2010: FY11 Budget Update presented at School Board Work Session
January 13-14, 2010: Department budget presentations to Budget Committee
January 29, 2010: Superintendent’s Video Address on Budget Development
February 5, 2010: School Board Retreat on Budget Development
February 16, 2010: School Board meeting (7 pm) and Public Hearing on the Proposed FY11 Operating Budget at 7:30 pm
in the administration building auditorium.
March 9, 2010: The Superintendent’s Proposed Budget will be presented to the School Board at its work session at 5:30 pm
in the administration building auditorium.
March 10, 2010: Proposed budget available for review online and at the administration building and SCOT transportation office.
March 16, 2010: Public Hearing on the Proposed FY11 Operating Budget at 7 pm in the administration building auditorium.
March 23, 2010: School Board Meeting and scheduled vote on the FY11 Operating Budget., 7 pm in the administration
building auditorium.
April 1, 2010: School Board approved budget due to City Council.
May 15, 2010: Deadline for City Council to appropriate funding.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How is the budget developed?
How is the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget drafted?
Budget preparation begins in the fall. In October, the budget committee began meeting to discuss the development of the 2010-2011 budget. While keeping the real bottom line in the forefront (the education of NNPS students), the committee received regular updates on state and local funding, reviewed suggestions from employees through the budget blog (for employees only) and other correspondence, and discussed various measures to reduce spending.
Supervisors and directors were asked to prepare and submit their departmental budgets with a 7% reduction. In January, each department’s budget is presented to the committee. Once all budgets are presented, the Budget Office begins compiling all of the funding requests to develop the Superintendent’s FY11 budget. This budget becomes the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget and will be presented to the School Board at a special work session on March 9.
The Proposed Budget is based on the General Assembly’s proposed budget and the Newport News City Manager’s proposed local contribution. In developing the FY 2011 budget, the committee approached the work with one goal in mind: continuing our commitment to the education of our students by advancing our benchmarks for Smart, Safe Schools, while maintaining the financial stability of the organization. Two guiding principles focused their efforts: minimizing the impact on instruction and safety and minimizing the impact on our staff.
Who’s on the budget committee?
The budget committee is comprised of NNPS employees (including the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, Executive Directors and Principals from all education levels), a representative from the City of Newport News, and the president of the Newport News Education Association.
Where does the funding come from?
Newport News Public Schools receives operating budget revenues from three primary sources – State aid for public education, funds transferred from the City of Newport News and federal impact aid. NNPS also receives a small amount of revenue from non- resident tuition, fees and receipts from athletic activities.
What is the budget outlook for public education in Newport News?
It is no secret that Virginia is struggling with one of the worst financial situations in decades.
• For the first time in Virginia history, state revenue has declined in two consecutive years.
• More than $7 billion has been cut from the state general fund over the past three years.
• More than $4 billion will be cut in the upcoming state budget.
The City of Newport News is also facing economic hardship, with revenues expected to drop this year due partly to lower real estate values.
These reductions have had a major impact on public education funding in Newport News. For the current year NNPS received a $17 million reduction from the state and no increase from the city. As a result, the school division cut 118 full-time positions, more than $2 million in part-time salaries, and millions more from other areas without increasing the pupil-teacher ratio.
This year the financial landscape is even gloomier. Our school system is anticipating cuts of up to $25 million, depending on how the General Assembly and City decides to structure their budgets. Just a few of the proposals in the General Assembly include:
• A change to the education funding formula (local composite index) could reduce state funding by $3.8 million.
• A change to the way students are counted (triennial census) could reduce funding by $727,000.
• A change to the way health care premiums are funded by the state could reduce funding by $3.45 million
The General Assembly is also expected to approve a massive reduction in funding for support staff. This change would eliminate funding for more than 13,000 education jobs statewide, including 315 in Newport News.
Why can't we use Federal Stimulus Funding to shore up our budget?
Federal stimulus funding is divided into three categories: Title 1, Special Education, and State Stabilization. Only the State Stabilization monies could be used to fill in budget gaps; the Title 1 and Special Education stimulus funds have very specific uses that cannot directly help with the operating budget.
Unfortunately, the state has already committed all of the State Stabilization funds for its FY 2011 budget, meaning local school divisions will not receive Fiscal Stabilization funds in the upcoming year.
I’ve read that some school divisions have a lot of extra employees in the administration. What’s the story with Newport News Public Schools?
The school division has already cut administrative staffing, and there now are fewer administrative positions now than three years ago. With the large budget cuts looming, it is likely that administrative staffing will decrease again in the upcoming year.
The following is an overview of administrative staffing that supports the 31,000 students, 5, 000 employees, and families of Newport News Public Schools.
Of the 5,000 NNPS employees, there are:
• 268 employees in the central administration, Service Center for Operations & Transportation, and the Staff Support Center. That equals 5.36 percent of the total NNPS staff.
Of these, there are:
• 60 administrators, which equals 1.2 percent of total staff
• 116 academic services staff, which equals 2.32 percent of total staff
• 44 in transportation and operations, which equals 0.88 percent of total staff
• 48 in human resources, instructional technology, and security which equals 0.96 percent of total staff
School employees did not get a pay increase this year. Will they get one next year?
Given the current economic climate, it does not appear likely that the school division can provide a pay raise for the upcoming year. Depending on the depth of state and local budget cuts, it may even be necessary to consider salary reductions. We were fortunate in that NNPS did not have to increase health insurance premiums for employees for the past two years, when many other school divisions have passed increased costs to their employees. We are hopeful that we can continue to hold the line of health insurance costs for employees in the upcoming budget.
Couldn’t we save some money from this year and use it for next year?
In Virginia any education funds which have not been spent by June 30 must revert to the state or locality the provided the funding. Also, since the state just announced a reduction of $5 million for the current budget year (on top of the $17 million that was originally cut) it is unlikely that NNPS would have much of a surplus, if any, at the end of the current year.
Why can't we just eliminate textbook purchases or summer school to save money?
Funds provided by the state for textbooks and summer school must be used on those programs. If not, the funds are kept by the state. The same is true for the funding that supports preschool and reduces the pupil-teacher ratio in grades K-3.
What if we stopped paying for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams? How much would that save?
Not paying the cost of the AP and IB exams would save the school division about $250,000. That will be considered for the upcoming budget.
How are other school divisions planning to cut their budgets?
Sixty-eight Virginia school divisions responded to a recent survey asking how they plan to handle the anticipated cuts in state and local funding. Here’s what the survey found Virginia school divisions are considering:
Among other programs school divisions listed for possible reductions are: Driver Education (behind-the-wheel), art, band, physical education, foreign language, technology, athletics, non-mandated high school classes, JROTC, school materials and supplies, full-day kindergarten, and gifted education.
Some school divisions also said they will consider adding fees to pay for certain activities such as athletics.
What about cutting athletics in middle school? How much would that save?
Middle school athletics have proven to be extremely popular activities for students and parents alike. Nearly 1,100 students participate directly in middle school sports, and hundreds others have joined related activities, such as cheerleading and spirit band. With a cost of $78,000 annually, the program costs about $70 per student. At a time when families have fewer resources for after-school activities, middle school athletics helps keep students engaged in school and away from potentially negative situations.
The School Board discontinued the high school gymnastics program last year, which served only 68 students, and reallocated the $62,000 that would have spend on gymnastics to middle school sports.
I heard that we could save millions if we just stopped busing students in order to comply with federal court ruling on desegregation. Is that true?
The vast majority of transportation funds are used to transport students who attend their zoned school nearest to them but live beyond the walk zone or face safety issues such as crossing major roads. About 15 percent of students are bused to magnet schools, and others are bused to reach talented and gifted or special education programs not available in their school zone.
Of the nearly 31,000 students in the school division, about 3.5 percent are bused due to the court-approved desegregation plan. If those students were not bused at all, the savings would at best be around $500,000. That amount of savings would be unlikely for a number of reasons. It is likely that some of these students, due to the walk zone, would end up getting on a bus to get to school. To discontinue the court-approved plan, the school division would incur legal expenses to eliminate the federal ruling. The possibility also exists that the federal courts would not grant permission to end the court-approved plan. And because there would not be enough seats in downtown schools to accommodate the students who were no longer bused, the school division would face significant financial costs to build additional facilities.
Is it true that NNPS is planning to close a school? NEW!
As second semester begins, Newport News Public Schools is planning for the next school year. The school division is considering options to reduce spending while ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of educating our students for the 2010-2011 school year and beyond. As the district considered its options, a committee reviewed school enrollment and building utilization, and recommended an elementary school reassignment plan that would address the decreasing enrollment at Sedgefield and Marshall elementary schools, while reassigning about 200 students to schools closer to the neighborhood in which they reside.
The reassignment proposal includes moving South Morrison students and staff to Sedgefield Elementary School, located at 804 Main Street. As part of this proposal, South Morrison students residing in the Beaconsdale neighborhood would be reassigned to Riverside Elementary at 1100 Country Club Road.
To accommodate the movement of the South Morrison students and staff, the majority of the students at Sedgefield would be reassigned to Carver Elementary School, 6160 Jefferson Avenue. Other students, who live in close proximity to Sedgefield, would remain at the school.
Sedgefield faculty and staff participated in a special transfer fair. The staff was given the opportunity to select three schools and Human Resources will make every effort to place the staff at one of their choices (which can include Sedgefield). The school district hires about 200 teachers each year; thus the district does expect to retain all of the Sedgefield faculty.
Another component of the plan includes reassigning 95 current Carver Elementary students residing in the Brookridge community to different schools. Under the proposal, rising third, fourth and fifth-grade students would be reassigned to Newsome Park Elementary School (which is in closer proximity to their neighborhood), and rising kindergarten, first and second-grade students would be reassigned to Marshall Elementary School.
Staff meetings were scheduled at each school to present the proposal and respond to questions.
In addition, information meetings were scheduled so that families could receive more information about the propose school assignments.
The elementary school reassignment proposal was reviewed and submitted to the Newport News School Board at its meeting February 16. A public hearing on this proposal was held at that meeting and a second public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. Families and staff are invited to attend the hearings and provide comment on the proposal.
Is NNPS cutting the varsity swimming program next year to save money? NEW!
The varsity swimming program (boys and girls) will be maintained. The school district budget committee has decided to remove the swimming program from the list of possible budget cuts.
I heard that if the school division and city could save money if they shared services. Is this being looked into? NEW!
Yes. In fact, "shared services" is already a reality in Newport News, with NNPS sharing services with the city and other organizations in a number of areas. For example:
• The NN Parks and Recreation Department uses schools as both before- and after-school program sites.
• The NN Emergency Operations Office includes NNPS representatives and uses school buses for emergency transportation, schools for emergency shelters, and NNPS food service to provide food for those in shelters.
• NNPS uses the city’s radio network and frequencies, communications towers, and radio maintenance/purchasing.
• NNPS uses specialized city equipment, such as vehicle wash racks and vacuum truck.
• NNPS and school divisions in the region share services, including:
- New Horizons Regional Education Center
- Alternative education program
- Youth Career Café
- Joint procurements
NNPS and the City continue to work on additional ways to reduce costs and increase effectiveness through shared services and will continue
to examine areas that will benefit our community.
Below is a more extensive list services shared by the City and school division.
Transportation:
• Fuel – regional contract
• Emergency Services:
- Schools (shelters) & staff & food
- NNPS Buses & drivers
- EOC – NNPS provides staff for Emergency Operations Center
• Training:
- Police train on NNPS buses
- Radar training
- Defensive Driving
- Driver Training
• Radio Network:
- NNPS uses the city’s radio network and frequencies
- City maintains NNPS radios
- NNPS uses city communication towers (for GPS antennae)
- Purchasing new/replacement radios
• Data Sharing:
- NNPS provides student demographic data to City Planning
- City Planning provides development data to Schools
- NNPS uses the City’s GIS Arc info for EDULOG
• Storage - City stores dirt for inclement weather at Reservoir lot
• Bus wash rack - NNPS uses city’s vehicle wash rack for school buses
Child Nutrition Services:
• Shelters
• City uses many of NNPS food bids such as milk & bread for city farm and juvenile detention
• Parks and recreation uses schools for after-school programs
Athletics and Driver Education:
• Parks and Recreation (school gyms before and after school program, school fields and Todd Stadium)
• City Radio Shop
• Self Insurance Office (National Safety Council/Membership)
• DDC classes for city employees and Hampton-Newport News CCB
• Mainframe (all DDC information)
• Newport News Golf Course (golf matches and invitational)
• Newport News Tennis Center (tennis invitational)
• Newport News City Park (cross country invitational)
• Police/Sheriff (works events at schools and Todd)
• NN Police and NN Sheriff (training)
• NN Fire Department (training)
• Stoney Run Complex (field hockey tournament)
• Riverview Gymnastics Complex
• Riverview Soccer Fields
• Midtown Community Center (swimming)
• City Farm Workers (Relay)
Plant Services:
• NNPS uses city’s sewer vacuum truck
• P&R Maintenance uses NNPS property behind Administration building
• Public Works sells NNPS salted sand for snow application
• Police use NNPS Plant Services building for SWAT training
• NNPS and City coordinate for areas of joint interest, like training and new regulations
Other Areas:
• Mainframe/Network IT services
• Treasury services - banking
• Vehicle self-insurance fund
• City retirement
• City trust fund for retiree health insurance
• Police resource officers
• Actuarial services
• City attorney services
• Cooperative purchasing agreements
• IDA borrowing capability for Hidenwood Medical (Staff Support Center)
• Emergency generator shared by City and Telecommunication Center
• MetroNet return feeds for schools are located in City facility
• NNPS provides TV production van for City functions
I heard that millions are being spent to replace the current student information management system. Is that true? NEW!
NNPS is evaluating its student information management system to ensure that NNPS has the most up to date infrastructure to support data-driven decision making processes into the next decade. This process began in September with the formation of teams consisting of teachers, school administrators, registrars, attendance secretaries, school administrators, and staff from Technology Services and central administration - totaling 58 individual team members. These teams met throughout October and November to review the division’s needs in 11 critical requirement areas, including scheduling, special education, attendance, discipline, grading, and reporting. This collaborative work led to the development of a matrix totaling over 1,500 system requirements. This document is now being distributed to vendors who will develop proposals and presentations to demonstrate their systems.
As vendors present, all cross-functional team members will be in attendance to view vendor demonstrations, ask questions, and evaluate their particular requirement area(s). After this data is gathered, evaluated, and scored, NNPS will have a more complete understanding of the capabilities of other systems and their potential to improve teachers’ and administrators’ ability to access, report, and utilize student information.
At that time, a decision will be made as to whether the division should adopt a new system. The school division has reserved approximately $1.7 million in federal stimulus funds to update the Student Management System if required.
SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS
Suggestions and comments about the budget development process are welcome.
Answers and responses to the most frequently asked questions and topics that generate the most discussion will be posted here.
Employee comments and suggestions may also be posted on the NNPS Budget Blog (employee log-in required).
Please continue to visit this web site for updates as they become available.
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NNPS BUDGET
The NNPS Budget is available for download in pdf format. For more information
call 591-4500.
November 2, 2009: FY 2011 Budget Outlook Presentation at Communications Forum
March 16, 2010: Public Hearing on the Proposed FY11 Operating Budget at 7 pm in the administration building auditorium.
How is the budget developed?