Floyd school system tightening belt again
by Brittany Hannah, Staff Writer
Jun 27, 2012 | 8678 views | 19 19 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The Floyd County Board of Education met Tuesday to discuss the proposed 2013 budget. Final approval of the budget is expected to take place during a meeting set for 4 p.m. Thursday at the central office on Riverside Parkway.

The economy has forced school systems across the country to tighten their budgets and Floyd County is no different. The school system’s tax digest decreased by 2.25 percent, costing the county $650,000. The school system’s tax rate is expected to remain unchanged next year.

Finance Director Chris Toles expects next year’s collection rate to be 98-percent collection rate, up from a 97-percent collection rate this year.

Superintendent Lynn Plunkett expressed concern that reduced tax revenue could have a negative impact on classroom instruction.

“We’re looking not just at that local tax, but tax at the state level as well,” said Plunkett.

The school system had 940 certified positions during the 2011-2012 school year, but cut 35 by the end of May.

The proposed 2013 budget calls for 905 certified positions with 883 staff contracts renewed and 22 positions unfilled.

With Plunkett set for retirement in December, the board is continuing to develop the selection process for a new superintendent. The board is working on a job description and considering forming surveys for the community for their input on qualifications.

“Being a superintendent nowadays is just not fun anymore,” said Plunkett. “It is not fun.”

Comments
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Bevans1974
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July 01, 2012
You have 20 principals in the Floyd County School System making over $1,966,000. That is an average of $98,000 person. You have two making over $111,000 per year and one of them has worked in the system less than 10 years.

You have 27 Asst Principals making $1,986378. This is an average of $73,569 per person. So we are spending $3,952,619 on admins alone. If you did away with just one asst principal for each high school & middle school you would save $588,552 per year.

How many more teachers could be hired with this money? I would really like to see a breakdown of the positions that were cut from the new budget.

The sad thing is how low the pay is for some of the teachers & para-pro's that work with most challenging students.
TheSeer
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July 01, 2012
Principals deserve every penny they make and then some.
4lowertax
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July 01, 2012
Depends on the Principle!
4lowertax
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July 01, 2012
principal
4lowertax
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July 01, 2012
principal
countrygirl45
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June 29, 2012
@Don'tBanMe,Bro!: It's really sad that you base your perspective of public education and all teachers in general on a specific situation from 10 years ago. In any profession or occupation, there may be those who aren't the best representatives, however, it is wrong to assume that all teachers are the same. Floyd county and Rome City have some great teachers, who work very hard to insure that every student achieves success. As far as teachers reaping the benefits of having summers off; that statement is always made by people not in education. Most teachers I know attend workshops, teach and administer make-up standardized tests, or teach summer school - not too mention planning and developing lessons for the upcoming year. Being home-schooled may be the best situation for your son and of course he should excel - he is receiving one on one, individualized instruction - something that is difficult to achieve with a classroom of 25 to 30 students. You didn't mention who his teacher is, but if it is you, based on what you mentioned about working at Fairbanks, I can't help but wonder if your level of education is enough to prepare him for the advanced placement courses and exams that public high school students take to gain college credit or to make a high score on the SAT or ACT- since he could run circles around our best students. I can assure you that teachers are not baby-sitters or daycare workers and although the physical labor may not compare to being a laborer in a factory, it is still work. And the hours are not just 8 to 3 either. I wonder how many nights and weekends or days off that you take home work from your job or how many days you go in early or miss your lunch because a student or coworker needs help. I think if you spent one day in a teacher's shoes having the same responsibilities and issues, then you might be qualified to pass judgement about what teachers really do. That offer to take a teacher's job in a heartbeat might not seem to appealing after doing real work in a public education system.
appalucy
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June 29, 2012
It is well documented that the level of education of home school parents has little to no bearing on the home school students academic capabilities including AP testing and SAT/ACT scoring. Homeschoolers, on average, score higher than public school students.

As for teachers, although I don't like the idea of "public" schools (parents should be responsible for their own children and their education, not the government), I know there are many teachers that do care and can teach. They do try to provide a reasonable education for the students. Good teachers have their hands tied by tons of regulations and teaching to the test. Unfortunately, the bad apples are difficult to remove from the public school barrel.
Trelicious
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June 29, 2012
It's a southern male thing to believe that "real work" consists of a tanned neck, calloused hands and a few DUI convictions. I wouldn't pay too much attention to the troll.

I'm not happy with our education system either, but hiring Fairbanks employees to teach my children is not at the top of my list of potential solutions.
4lowertax
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July 02, 2012
Trelicious, not taking up for anyone mind you, but you must be one of those northern male obama supporters, that retired from a state or fed. "position", that has the iq of a earthworm, who lays on the couch all day waiting for the obama plastic chip!If you dont like the south, get ur azz up north! I know many nice yankees but ur an idiot. How dare you characterize southern males as such. I bet you can't even wipe yourself.

I would like to see you working in 90 degree temps, bet you wouldnt last 2 minutes. Hope ur power goes out imediately!

Custer
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June 28, 2012
The plight of teachers is that they could say that here we are once full of hope, led by the incompetent, with reduced resources, to do the impossible for the ungratful who are sometimes ignorant, arrogant and rude.
4lowertax
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July 01, 2012
Dont Ban, Couldnt agree with you more. The average teacher in georgia makes $59,000 a year, well ABOVE any poverty line in the world. When you divide the actual days teachers work minus the forced "No Pay" days, most teachers make $340.00- $400.00 per Day! However there are teachers out there who deserve their pay and there are teachers out there who need to be FIRED effective imediately. Dont Ban, sorry but even though you dont use the school system, you still pay teachers salaries through school taxes, lets make teachers 100% accountable, stop making private schooled families pay school taxes and tell the whining "underpaid teachers" that the squeeky wheel DOES NOT get the oil. We are having to pay premium prices for some of the worst education in the world!
westromemom
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June 28, 2012
as many of us have discussed over the years...how much money do the idiots think they spend in the month of August for airconditioning??? The hottest month of the year. THERE is your problem. How many teachers would it pay for the A/C cost alone? If school was started AFTER Labor Day like it used to be, and go into June a little, it would substantially save MUCH needed money for teachers.
geekazoid
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June 28, 2012
Who's the idiot? There are people working in those school buildings all through the month of August and would be even if school was pushed back to Labor Day. Schools don't magically close down the moment the students' day is over or the day summer vacation starts.
BasketballFan
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June 28, 2012
Geekazoid,

While ALL costs would not be defrayed, I can tell you that at my school (not a Floyd County school), our custodians work in the summer WITHOUT air conditioning. When I stop by during the summer to work, I, too, work WITHOUT air conditioning as it is off during the summer. I agree with westromemom. The temps are much cooler in early June than in August. Last year, we were not allowed to take children outside for recess for much of the first month of school as the heat index was over 100. I applaud local school boards in both systems working to make the best of these rough economic times.
Bevans1974
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June 27, 2012
go to this web site and you can see what anyone who works for any education system in the state makes.

http://www.open.georgia.gov/sta/viewMain.aud
Bevans1974
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June 27, 2012
it's surprising what some of the admins make compared to the people who actually work with the students.
Blder
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June 27, 2012
After administrators already cut it to the bone.

Bevans1974
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June 27, 2012
I would like to know how many of the 35 positions that were cut are administrative. Each school is "top heavy" with too many "Chiefs" and not enough "Indians".

By doing away with just one administrative position at each school would save the school system quite a lot.
anabelle_lee
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June 27, 2012
Imagine that! A publicly funded institution having to try to save money or "tighten their belt"
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