What Happened?
The city of Middletown, CT, has assigned its in-house legal department to offer counsel to the local school board through a consolidation effort to save up to $80,000 annually in taxpayer money.
So What?
By merging the city’s legal department with the school board, municipality leaders aim to eliminate reliance on outside law firms that cost significant funding. There are still some technique issues surrounding educational legality that may require consulting services from a private firm which will be paid for by the city. The legal department will add on new attorneys to accommodate school board needs. The agreement outlined:
- The city legal department will provide counsel on school expulsion hearings and other matters within their expertise on behalf of the school board
- The city legal department will receive funding to restore staffing levels to those last seen prior to 2008
- The school board is not obligated to work only with the city’s legal department if more specialized services are required
The school board is also looking to consolidate its education services to further reduce spending while driving up efficient use of resources and manpower.
Birmingham Consolidation
The Birmingham Board of Education has taken steps to cut costs and save money in an operating reserve fund while merging schools, students and resources. The board has completed phase one of its strategy to slash the district’s budget which took out $8 million from expenses, and has launched phase two which aims to save even more in the upcoming months.
The board of education must reduce its budget by $17 million to create a state required one-month operating reserve to accommodate unforeseen costs or emergencies. It plans to achieve these savings through consolidation of schools, teacher and staff layoffs and significant reductions in operational expenses.
Impact of Sequestration
A recent survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators examined how sequestration, as a result of budgetary restraints on local school districts, is threatening the quality of education. Sequestration cuts are estimated at around 9 percent of budgets. The survey found:
- 90 percent of school administrators felt their state or school district could not absorb or offset sequestration cuts
- 54.1 percent said the 2012-2013 school budgets included cuts to off-set sequestration efforts, which are realized in layoffs, eliminated curriculum and closed schools
- 69.4 percent expect sequestration to result in less professional development
- 54.9 percent anticipate class sizes to increase
- 58.1 percent plan to have academic programs reduced
- 56.6 percent predict layoffs are to come
Consolidation Model
The authors of the Handbook of Local Fiscal Health introduced a consolidation model of school districts in Nassau County that can reduce administrative costs and lower property taxes for residents. The plan merged 56 school districts into 10 under management of one countrywide administrator. The model could save taxpayers $113 million, coming to a real estate tax savings of about 2.4 percent per homeowner.
Other School Efforts
Communities are finding unique ways to consolidate services to reduce school budgets without eliminating too many resources.[/dw-post-more]