County in a bind over new classroom size law
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 20, 2017 9:55 PM
Wayne County cannot afford to build its way out of the need for the additional classrooms that is being forced upon it by new state legislation limiting class size.
Rather the county needs to ensure it is making the best use of its existing classroom space.
And it needs to plan for the changes -- something it needs to do sooner than later.
That was the reaction Tuesday morning of Wayne County commissioners after being told the school system would need approximately 20 additional K-3 classes in 2017-18, and approximately 50 more in 2018-19.
The demand for classrooms could mean that art, music and physical education facilities will have to be turned into regular classroom space, County Manager George Wood said.
That translates into the loss of an equivalent number of positions and/or dollar allotments for teachers from those areas, Wood said.
It could lead as well to increased use of modular or mobile classrooms -- something the county has been trying to move away from.
"What they (school board) have indicated to us is that they can come up with 20 additional ones this year," Wood said. "The issue is going to be '18-19 where we are going to need 50.
"You have 22 classrooms you remember in the bond issue for the northern part of the county. So we pick up those 22 so we need roughly about 30 more."
Commissioner Joe Daughtery said those 22 classrooms are just replacing mobile units.
"This assumes you keep the mobile units," Wood said. "You are going to have to meet this. I think you are going to have to on this timeline. That's not to say you wouldn't move them out later."
Basically, what the county is looking at for those 30 classrooms is equivalent to a new elementary school, Wood said.
The school board needs to look at existing empty classrooms, Chairman Bill Pate said.
"They are going to do that," Wood said. "That is what they are looking at. What I wanted to go over with you, the state has passed legislation where Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties are eligible for some additional capital funding. Now what (schools Superintendent) Dr. (Michael) Dunsmore is saying is that he thinks we are eligible for $5 million the first year or two and then another $5 million the next years.
"So you will have $10 million coming in. The state is also talking about a $1.5 billion bond issue. But they are not talking about giving you the money. They are talking about loaning you the money. They are Triple A (bond rating). You are Double A. So it's not going to save you a lot of money (interest on a loan)."
The school board is working on options including possibly moving attendance lines, Wood said.
But it all ties together -- how to redistrict and use the space available, he said.
"Then we see where we are," Wood said. "But I wanted you to be aware this (classroom size limit law) has passed the legislature."
Commissioner Joe Gurley asked if there has been any discussion about all of the new teachers that would be needed for the additional classrooms, since there is supposed to a teacher shortage.
"Not at this point," Wood said. "That may be another issue, but they are working on solutions to all of this. I just wanted to give you an update because the legislature has just finished everything on the budget, and this has passed.
"At this time there is no change in the state funding formula. The district would have to make adjustments within current dollar allotments. However, there are indications that an additional allotment category for positions in art, music and PE might be established prior to the 2018-19 school year."
Currently, the state gives the county those additional teachers, Wood said.
The school system can use the allocations for music, art and "all of those things," which the schools have been doing, he said.
Along with a "huge impact" on facilities, the law will have an impact as well if the county has to pay for the teachers needed for the additional classrooms.
The phrasing concerning additional funding for art, music and PE teachers is "might be" established, Wood said.
Daughtery said he had "gotten into trouble" at the last meeting for comments about the school board.
"It may be that the school board looks at this as this is next year," he said. "But time flies very rapidly, and the school board needs to work on their plans for better use of the facilities that they have, to make sure we use those classrooms rather than building new ones.
"But do understand, we can't make those determinations. We need to do all that we can to encourage the school board to have those meetings early on to make a determination of how they are going to better utilize them."
Wood said he has asked the school board to try to have something to commissioners by September.
Then the two boards could meet and even if there is no solution, there would be options to be discussed, Wood said.
Daughtery said he had not been pleased that the school board had to spend $300,000 in local funds at Tommy's Road Elementary School to bring in mobile classrooms.
It was closer to $400,000 by the time they were set up, Pate said.
It was a lot of money considering it was to be for a year, Daughtery said.
Given the new law, the mobile unit could be there longer, Wood said.
Daughtery agreed and said the county needs to come up with a plan as quickly as possible.