Schools Budget Crunch 101

Cooking up Christmas cheer

Herald-Leader
December 13, 2002

Schools Budget Crunch 101
Educators, governor warn of cuts

"I was hopeful when we did a complete education reform we could sustain it," said Binion, superintendent in Elliott County. That small rural district blossomed under the Kentucky Education Reform Act, but now might have to cut eight teachers and 12 aides. "I really hate to see us go backward."

Binion joined Gov. Paul Patton, other superintendents, and university presidents at Second Street Elementary in Frankfort yesterday. The event focused not on offering solutions to the cuts, but on showing just how bad they could be -- in time for people to start lobbying the General Assembly before it reconvenes next month.

Previous cuts have largely spared education. But Patton said that unless the state gets more money, it can't shield schools from the next budget cuts.

Post-secondary education and kindergarten through 12th grade make up 66 percent of the state budget.

According to the state budget office, elementary and secondary education could face $266 million in cuts over this fiscal year and the next. The state's public universities and community colleges might be hit by $74.8 million in that same period.

Those cuts would help plug a $144 million hole this year in the state's overall budget and a $365 million shortfall next year.

Those proposed cuts represent 5.2 percent of the roughly $3.3 billion the state spends each year on kindergarten through 12th grade and the $1.1 billion that goes to postsecondary education.

Yesterday, other officials echoed Binion as they spoke of the success of reform in all levels of education, and the dangers that tax cuts could pose.

State Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit said 1,800 teachers would be cut across Kentucky, family-resource centers could lose $4 million, and extra tutoring funds would be down by $2.5 million.

Patton said the $23 million that schools are about to divide as a reward for improved test scores would not be cut.

"These budget reductions are very serious for every public school ... they would disrupt our services and progress that has been made," Wilhoit said. He spoke to a crowd of about 100 Second Street students, who largely managed to control their wiggling during 15 speech-es sprinkled with terms such as "service delivery" and "faculty lines."

UK would lose $26 million

University officials were no less pessimistic.

University of Kentucky Pro-vost Michael Nietzel said the state's flagship university, facing cuts totaling $26 million over two years, would have to cut faculty and staff members, eliminate extension agents across the state, and greatly increase tuition.

This will "set back Kentucky's chances to grow itself out of its economic doldrums," he said.

Patton declined to offer a specific solution, saying he wants to lay out the problem's magnitude and let the General Assembly decide how to fix it.

"This is a decision that needs to be made by the people of Kentucky. ... Let me assure you the legislature is going to do what they think the people of Kentucky want done," he said.

One of the speakers, Blake Haselton, superintendent of Oldham County, was more clear: "Now is the time for comprehensive tax reform. The people of Kentucky should expect no less from our elected leaders."

Trying to sway lawmakers

Yesterday's event was largely preaching to the choir. But it raised the question of whether sufficient political momentum against education cuts could convince legislators who have said they won't touch taxes, either in the form of tax hikes or reform.

"This is the kind of event that brings attention to the problems," said Tony Sholar of the state Chamber of Commerce, which says it would back some tax reform to support education. "But is it enough to change anyone's mind?"

It didn't sway the second-in-command of the GOP Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, didn't attend the event. But he dismissed Patton's presentation as "not very helpful."

"What legislators are looking for, and I think, the public, too, is where can state government be more efficient," he said. "We need an analysis of where cuts can be made in state government before we talk about possible teacher layoffs and such."

He said there is no sentiment in the legislature to raise taxes.

Patton recently implemented cost-saving measures that his administration said will save $30 million. They range from energy efficiency in state buildings to reducing the payroll by 1,000 by next December through retirements and attrition.

"That was a good first step but more needs to be done," Kelly said. "Instead of reducing the state payroll by 1,000, maybe it should be by 3,000. We need information on the impact of those types of steps."

This year state lawmakers failed to enact a budget because of a dispute over whether tax dollars should be spent on next year's campaigns for governor. In the absence of a legislative-enacted budget, Patton implemented a spending plan for this fiscal year, which began July 1, based on plans approved by the House and Senate.

Kelly said Patton's plan is "at a level of spending that he knew the state could not sustain."

"Whatever we do in the legislative session that begins in January, we will have no new revenue for this fiscal year," he said. "I wonder what the governor wants to do about that."

Daily News
December 12, 2002

Cooking up Christmas cheer
Kids bake cookies for charity

Those in need at The Salvation Army this holiday season will have a special treat, thanks to the Culinary Arts Program at Bowling Green Technical College and 100 Briarwood Elementary School pupils.

"We try to have a dessert - a cake, or a pie" for the needy who come to the soup kitchen on West Main Avenue, said Salvation Army Major Vernon Dolby. "But this is something different, special. It's not a store-bought thing. It's something homemade that's been treated with love and respect."

The culinary-arts students baked 1,000 cookies early yesterday morning from dough donated by Southern Foods. They also made special icing from scratch, then Briarwood students came to the college on Loop Drive and decorated the cookies with sprinkles and icing.

Mike Riggs, a culinary-arts assistant professor and executive chef, came up with the idea to donate homemade cookies to The Salvation Army two years ago, when his son, Parker, was still in preschool.

"I just sat around one day and said 'We need to do something,' " he said. "I have a 6-year-old and an 18-month-old, and I think they need to learn more about Christmas than gifts."

Parker, now a first grader at Briarwood, was decorating cookies with classmates yesterday. His mom, Elizabeth Riggs, teaches second grade at the school.

"We always try to do a community-service project," she said of Briarwood classes. "So this was right up our alley."

Second-grader Alex Lindsey said he enjoyed decorating the treats "so all the other kids who don't get anything for Christmas can have some cookies.

"... I think it's really sad because they don't get as much as other kids do," he said. "I wouldn't like it."

Thomas Shaw, also a second-grader, said decorating the cookies was "a great opportunity."

Jillian Neustat was just having fun.

"I want red sprinkles," the first-grader said as culinary arts student Melanie McKee, who had replaced her white chef's hat with a Santa cap, filled her request.

It would be a long day for McKee and the other culinary arts students. Immediately after the cookie-decorating session, they had to take a final exam. But they didn't mind the stress.

"I asked them if they wanted to do it, and they all wanted to do it," Mike Riggs said. "It's a commitment for them to come in and want to do it before the test."

Student James Palmer was glad he could help.

"I was a little bummed because I had a test today," he said as he squeezed out icing onto plates for children. But, "this is a good way to relax instead of stressing out about a book."

Dolby was glad the students felt that way. The Salvation Army major thinks spending time teaching little ones about community service will stay with the children for a lifetime.

"Even if they don't realize what they've been able to do, they'll remember this (party)," he said. "As I was growing up as a child I didn't have much, and I remember going to a party in the community and getting a gift."