RIPLEY, W.Va. — Jackson County Superintendent of Schools Blaine Hess says the recent one percent cut in the state School Aid Formula will be on his mind when it comes to budget planning for the next fiscal year.
“I’ll certainly have this in the back of my mind of where can we begin looking at a more measured reduction across the board, so that it’s not felt in one area too heavily,” Hess told MetroNews affiliate WMOV Radio in Ravenswood.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin ordered a four percent cut in the state budget last week along with a one percent cut in school aid. The cuts were due to a drop in state revenues because of the lack of coal production and low natural gas prices.
The one percent reduction amounts to more than $16 million in statewide funding. The Jackson County school system’s portion of that cut is just shy of $300,000.
“What we have to do now is look for the best ways that we can absorb that cut with the minimum impact on students, services and what’s happening in our classrooms on a daily basis,” said Hess.
Hess said the cuts will not only effect their budget planning process, but will also rule out much of the building renovations they like to complete during the summer months.
“During the summers, we can do some special projects around our schools and so forth in terms of maintenance and sometimes upgrades. We’ll have to take a close look in that area of what we might be able to afford in the future,” he said.
According to the state Department of Education, the cuts range from $1.56 million in Kanawha County to $62,600 in Gilmer County.