Teresa Williams
THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville City Board of Education has voted on a way to handle more expected budget cuts and furlough days.
Gov. Sonny Perdue called for an additional three furlough days and an additional reduction in state funding to school systems this fiscal year, due to continued declines in revenue, on Jan. 15.
The board, at its Jan. 26 meeting, adopted a resolution to extend the furlough rate of pay for employees from January through April to offset the reduction in state funds being received by the district, staff said.
“We will continue our reduced rate of pay so this will not have such an impact on salaries by spreading it out over a broader period of time,” Superintendent Sabrina Boykins-Everett said Wednesday.
“Should there be some adjustment necessary, the board will make that adjustment to employee paychecks at the end of the fiscal year.”
Pay deductions for the first three furlough days were spread over employee checks September through December 2009.
Board Member Darrell Allen said this plan extension was approved in order to make it a little easier on those having to take furloughs.
“We did it this way was so the furlough days would not hit the teachers all at one time,” he said. “It will be spread out so the money will not be taken out all at once.”
Daily pay rate depends on the employee, staff said.
“Whatever that amount is, for three days it will be pro-rated, or spread out over these four additional months,” Everett explained. “It will be divided among several paychecks instead of one.”
The state pay for a beginning teacher with a four-year degree is approximately $175 per day, making the reduction for a three day furlough $525, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Dusty Kornegay said.
“Spreading the reduction over four months results in a gross monthly reduction of $131.25,” he said. “Employees saw this reduction September-December for the first three days of furlough imposed by the governor.
“The additional three days will result in the furlough rate of pay being continued for an additional four months. This brings to a total of six days that Georgia teachers have been furloughed, giving a beginning teacher a reduction of $1,050 for the year.”
These extra furlough days will not impact students, administrators said, but dates have yet to be determined.
The superintendent is appointing a committee of administrators and teachers to make recommendations for streamlining end-of-year procedures because post-planning will be reduced.
“We’ve decided to do a paperwork and workload committee, bringing together representatives from each school to talk about how to reduce the workload,” Everett said.
“We’ll be talking about post-planning and let this committee kind of help guide those days with the least amount of impact on teachers.”
The approved resolution also states that if the system’s budget will allow it to offset one day of the state reduction, then one day may be restored.
That decision, if applicable, would be made once the system receives its final amended 2010 state allotment.
“Do I like to have less pay? No, but I am thankful to have a job, I love the kids and am glad to teach,” Tom Rinehart, an eighth grade Georgia history and economics teacher at the Thomasville City Scholars Academy, said. “I’d like state revenues to be back where they were but I don’t think that will happen for several years.”
Rinehart was not surprised to learn of more furlough days.
He feels the city board and administrative staff are good stewards of funds and is grateful to the system for the way it is handling the situation.
“I think that is the proper way of doing it,” Rinehart said. “We have a stable income and know what it is going to be month-to-month so I think this furlough rate of pay helps us cope.”
