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Board of Education requests $5.1M over maintenance-of-effort; commissioners direct MOE planning as negotiations continue
Summary
The Board of Education presented a FY2017 request about $5.1 million above the county's maintenance-of-effort (MOE), driven largely by negotiated salary step changes and rising fixed charges; commissioners asked the school system to plan initially on MOE while labor negotiations conclude in the coming weeks.
Superintendent Scott and school finance staff presented the Board of Education's FY2017 budget request, which the schools characterized as predominantly personnel-driven. The BOE package requested roughly $103.1 million total (about $5.1 million over last year's highest appropriation), reflecting a combination of negotiated step increases for employees, a placeholder for ongoing labor negotiations, and one-time capital requests for textbooks and technology.
Superintendent Scott told commissioners the larger share of the increase results from steps that will become effective per negotiated agreements across employee groups and an expected but not-yet-finalized negotiated settlement with the teachers' and support staff unions. "I can't imagine a better way to spend it than putting it in the pockets of teachers and support staff," Superintendent Scott said when asked about priorities for negotiated increases. The superintendent said the district had tried to reduce recurring exposure by seeking one-time funding for textbook and technology adoptions.
Commissioners pressed the BOE on enrollment trends, the mechanics of maintenance-of-effort, and the timing of negotiated agreements. The BOE said enrollment has been roughly flat, with small shifts at the elementary level, and that state funding changes had not fully matched the district's requested needs. The superintendent and school staff said negotiations were nearing conclusion and expected to be wrapped up within about two weeks, which would allow the district to present final negotiated salary language before the commission takes a final budget action.
Because the county faces an $8.1 million gap in the current reconciliation and several other competing requests, commissioners directed county finance staff to plan initial county budgeting for the Board of Education at the maintenance-of-effort level rather than the full $5.1 million increase. Commissioners asked the superintendent to return quickly if negotiated settlement language required additional recurring funding, and they left open the possibility of a post-public-hearing amendment if final agreements require it.
Ending: The board encouraged both sides to finish negotiations promptly. Commissioners said they would prefer to see final negotiated agreements in hand before committing recurring county dollars above MOE, while also acknowledging the political and community implications of teacher and support-staff compensation.
