An administrator presented a plan to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education on Tuesday night that would cut fewer jobs from the school district but increase the number of teaching jobs that would be eliminated.
Kerry Crutchfield, the system's budget director, discussed the plan, which would eliminate 221 jobs, including 118 teaching positions, and save the system $23 million. In May, he presented a plan to the board that would cut 260 jobs, including 110 teachers, to save $23.8 million.
After Crutchfield and Superintendent Don Martin discussed that plan, Crutchfield presented a proposal for a one-day furlough for school employees except for those who earn less than $30,000.
The furlough discussion was not included on the board's agenda for the meeting. Board member Buddy Collins said the board should not vote on it because the public didn't know the board might consider it.
The board decided to delay the vote until its June 28 meeting, when it also will consider its budget for 2011-12.
Earlier this month, the Forsyth County commissioner approved its 2011-12 budget, which provided $112 million for the school system. That is $300,000 less than the schools received for the current year, and $3.5 million less than school administrators requested.
Martin and Crutchfield said that the one-day furlough would save the school system about $950,000.
Martin said that local schools could implement a furlough even though the legislators prohibited such a measure in the proposed state budget.
Both the state and the local system provide money for teacher salaries. To get around the prohibition, the local system would consider all its employees as local employees, rather than state employees, for the furlough day, he said.
If the plan is approved on June 28, the furlough day for 12-month employees, such as school administrators, would be Nov. 25. For 10-month employees, including teachers, it would be June 13, 2012.
The proposal would be a temporary pay reduction and would not reduce longevity pay, Crutchfield said. Teachers would lose an average of $210 in gross pay and $150 in net pay.
Martin said he favored the furloughs because nearly every employee would experience the pain of budget cuts. Jane Goins, the board's vice chairwoman, said that the furloughs would allow the school system to save jobs.
But board member Vic Johnson questioned why school officials haven't considered cutting some of the system's highly paid administrators. He said that school officials should look at all workers who earn more than $60,000 a year and their job descriptions to determine whether the positions are needed.
"We have cut all we can cut from the bottom," Johnson said. "Some of these positions we just don't need."
Martin said several of the proposed cuts in the system's budget would eliminate the jobs of assistant principals and curriculum coordinators who earn more than $60,000 a year.
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