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School board works to save pre-k program
Published January 11, 2009
WALTON COUNTY — After last year’s prolonged budget process, the Walton County Board of Education is looking to start working around budget issues early and started with a plan to preserve pre-kindergarten offerings in the system.
Pre-k offerings within Walton County Public Schools include 18 classes spread between the system’s elementary schools serving 360 children. The program, funded primarily by Gov. Sonny Perdue’s “Bright from the Start” grant, was threatened during last year’s budget process due to nearly $500,000 of local funds that helped supplement costs. Although pre-k slipped through the budget last year, the board decided the best way to keep pre-k off the chopping block was to modify the program’s budget to eliminate nearly all local funds.
“We want to continue the program to continue serving all the 4-year-olds we currently serve and do it all with grant money and cut out local funds,” said Gary Hobbs, WCPS superintendent.
The majority of local funds spent on pre-k go toward salaries for teachers and paraprofessionals but rather than lay off staff — especially after extensive support staff cuts last year — the school system hopes to shift staff instead.
Experienced teachers — who earn more money — will be offered the choice to move into higher grades, where state money supplements salaries. New teachers can then be brought in, earning lower salaries due to less experience. By cutting down on staff costs, the system hopes to ensure grant money will cover employee costs as well as other program needs.
“Nobody loses their job,” Hobbs said. “We just move the seniority into higher grades. We’ll do it through attrition.”
Hobbs said preserving the pre-k program was important for area students.
“A lot of school systems have chosen to refuse pre-k programs,” Hobbs said. “We need it here. The principals say it helps the kids a lot.”
The program is open to all 4-year-olds in the WCPS system and children are chosen to attend through a lottery system to ensure students are not selected on any preferential basis. Despite that, Hobbs said the program was especially important for children who could not afford private pre-k services.
“It helps our students, especially on the lower socioeconomic side,” Hobbs said. “We don’t have the private sector to support 360 kids, especially on the Monroe side.”
Coleman Landers, board member for District 4, suggested eliminating pre-k last year to reduce the budget but said he was glad to see the program in a position to remain stable.
“They found a way to serve those students with only state funds, without any impact to local taxpayers,” Landers said. “We can do the same things for no local money.”
David Breedlove, board member for District 7, said the local funds freed by the plan would prove invaluable to the budget.
“I look forward to having that money available for other programs,” Breedlove said.
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