2011-12 Budget - All Comments 12-09-2010 - 01-03-2011 Showing All 806 Comments on this page – most recent comments first. J Voss, Cary Re-evaluate the meal programs. Although I realize that the county gets much of the $$ for the free and reduced meals program from our federal tax $$'s....I have also observed that a majority of the food "given" to these children is thrown into the trash, much of it completely untouched. Please also consider that a good percentage of these children arrive at school with $$ to buy "snacks and treats", some on a daily basis. If they truly "need" the schools to provide assistance for their lunch and breakfast, and I am not questioning that some do have need, then why do they have enouhg money to buy chips and ice cream while throwing their lunch in the garbage! If they have $$ for non-essential food they should pay for the lunch first! If not then they should not be allowed to buy "extras". Just as you can't buy cigs and beer with your food stamps!!! Yes, I know you make $$ on the extras...but is that in the best interests of the children???? Susan Johnson, Raleigh Assistants are crucial in 1st and 2nd grade classes. Have them work a 4 or 5 hour day during critical times. This way they are not totally out of a job worsening the overall economy. For goodness sake, please make it mandatory to set thermostats at cost-saving temperatures. For four years our daughter wore sweatshirts to Broughton in 90 degree weather because her classrooms were freezing! sridhar karuturi, Raleigh Charge a nominal amount (monthly/yearly) from parents of school going children. Families making 50k annually should be exempt and families making between 50k to 100k annually should be asked to pay a small amount and the remaining deficit must be distributed across families making more than 100k Lisa Osborne, Apex Limit IRT, AG, Couselor off campus meetings. School 4 days a week. Terminate Blue Diamond assessments. Keep adopted books for 7 or more years. Limit purchase of website programs for whole county. Eliminate workshops were sub pay is required. More summer workshops for teachers. Reading credits that would benefit math/science teachers. Lisa Osborne, Apex Look at F/R % per school and put personnel where it is needed most. Not in 2 and 3% F/R with same numbers of 70% F/R schools. IRT be a part-time postion, teaching as well. Resource/Ag in elem. having only one planning period per day and CCR not every Friday without students. Lisa Osborne, Apex Terminate all positions for Character Education AND PB. Teachers do a good job of this and there is not need of unnecessary expenditures for this. Limit part-time media specialists. Limit number of office staff - no shifting funds. Helene Stoll, Raleigh (1) Implement 10% salary reductions for all employees EARNING MORE THAN $100,000 per year; 15% reductions for any earning more than $150,000 per year. For every 2 reductions, ONE MORE TEACHER can be kept/hired. (2) STRONGLY REQUEST retirement for all employees over the age of 65, ESPECIALLY those earning salaries over $50,000 per year. Sarah Williams, Raleigh Change the light bulbs when they burn out to the a fluorescents bulb. For example, a 13 watt spiral compact fluorescents produce as much light as a standard 60 watt incandescent light bulb (over 75% less electricity for the same amount of light). Doing that for every light will make a significant impact on electricity savings and the environment. Bill White, Raleigh I coach two sports at a local high school and would like to express my opinion that charging students to play on a team is a terrible idea. I would suggest that the hours immediately after school are the most important hours of the day and we should never do anyhting to discourage a kid from playing sports. "Paying to play" is a bad idea regardless of families' ability to pay. Carol Obenschain, Raleigh I do not know how much was saved during a previous year when we had a couple days of pay reduced by furlough. If it would save positions, maybe 3 or 4 furlough days spread throughout the year instead of all in one month (for staff members' budget purposes) would be something to consider. I would prefer to keep my job, if it were on the line,and lose a few days of pay instead, IF across-the-board furloughs do generate enough money to make the difference needed. REENA JUNEJA, Cary PLEASE do NOT go to a 4 day school week. Education is very important. The children need more school time. There needs to be other ways to help this budget but not shorter days or shorter week. Thanks for all your efforts. Sue Pena-Schwartz, Willow Spring I am currently employed as a 12 month TA in the BED program at West Lake Middle School. My suggestion is to reduce employment hours for all 12 month employees across the board. This will hopefully save a few positions. Another suggestion I have is to eliminate the special transportation that drives students to surrounding schools (ex. Drew, Lucas transportation). This is an expensive service that is taking much needed funds that could be used for our students actual education and saving even more positions. I am all for neighborhood schools. If students cannot ride the bus for whatever reason (with exception of handicap)it should be the parents/guardians responsibility to get them to and from school. Thank you. Sincerely, Sue Pena-Schwartz Maria Tobi, Cary Those that have salaries that are btwn $75k-$250k should be able to take a reduction in salary 5 - 9 percent reduction in pay to help close the budget shortfall. Parents should also be charged $35.00 per year, per district, per family that the schools be in charged to collect these funds. Dennis Jacobs, Cary Possible ways to cut the WCPSS budget: 1. Audit the private transportation provided by Drew and any other local companies. Why are so many private vehicles needed when buses are provided? 2. Create a one mile (or .75 mile) radius around each school and make sure those addresses are assigned to that school. Do not provide bus service for those within the radius. There currently is a policy similar to this, but it's not followed. 3. Get rid of curriculum specialists. Teachers are truly helped by other teachers, usually in the same building. Put curriculum specialists back in the classroom and give teachers (back) the small stipends for mentoring new teachers. 4. Get rid of the central warehouse. Just as our new superintendent did in DC, supplies should be sent directly to the schools. Warehouse and delivery positions could be eliminated. Often, supplies are just re- boxed and delivered to the school or lost. 5. Maintain heat and AC levels when students are not in the buildings including summer, weekends, etc. Rather than shutting everything down and constantly having problems with systems not coming on, follow energy and cost saving measures by maintaining a temperature for heat and AC. School buildings have expensive technology that can be damaged when temperatures go too high or low. It could also prevent heat/AC problems having to work too hard to heat/cool. An energy audit can give recommendations. Sharon Shehdan, Raleigh 1. Ask for volunteers first - who is willing and able to leave or is willing and able to work part-time, especially among ESL, Special Programs, and other important support functions. Reduce staff who are eligible for retirement first. 2. At the elementary level, reduce specialists to 50% and schedule art, music, etc. every other week instead of weekly or one semester and not the other semester. Reduce Data Managers to 50%. Reduce AP MOE to 9 or 10. Leave classrooms alone as much as possible. 3. Give principals the option to manage their own budgets and make their own decisions about where to cut staff versus instructional materials. 4. Require upper level teachers to put more information on Blackboard, Wikis or Schoolnotes instead of distributing it on paper. Use online textbooks and classroom projectors more. 5. Allow PTAs to raise money and contribute directly to the school personnel budget. Bonnie Mulfinger, Cary I am aware that special transportation arrangements are made for students requiring it due to disabilities or homelessness. Money allotted for this is important. However, my understanding is that the school system is billed for each child in a family that is picked up at the same address and brought to the same school. Double or triple billing for one trip seems unnecessary and wasteful. Thank you for your attention to this. k ohara, holly springs 1. Stop adopting textbooks every three years 2. Cut from central services 3. Start a book room online for schools to "borrow" books from each other 4. 4 day work week 5. Encourage community involvement ( parents should volunteer one day and companies should help with mentors especially for minorities 6. Reuse and recyle books and materials for other schools 7. start online trainings instead of mandating meetings after school hours using 21 st century technolgy so people can participate from their locations 8. Ask for donations outside school from the schools community and recognize those companies in newsletters 9. Once we review data, don't change programs used. Use the data to adjust what is being done, not necessarily the program 10. Encourage communities to advocate for student needs in the General assembly and even the secretary of state Mr.