NC Budget Won't Help Hyde County Schools

At the August 5th Hyde County school board meeting, Latimore reported that the state legislature has finalized their budget and it does indeed restore the small school supplemental funds (as we all hoped it would.)  So although Hyde County Schools will receive over $1.7 million in supplements (an increase of $47,000 over last year), it still falls far short of the $1.8 million they received in the ’11-’12 school year or the $1.9 for ’10-’11. 

“We’re glad to get the supplement,” said Latimore.

But, he continued, “There’s a 22% reduction in funding for teacher assistants. That will come to $44,000 less for Hyde County Schools. We’ll also have a decrease of $12,000-30,000 for central office positions.”

In addition, the new (well-deserved) teacher pay raises that the state budget mandates are only partially covered by state monies. Of the 52 teachers in Hyde County Schools that are eligible for raises, the state will pay the increase for 34 of them 

“We will need to cover the other 18 positions out of the county budget,” Latimore said.

It gets worse: “All federal dollars have decreased,” Latimore said. And, the school board will be losing some county money when the Department of Social Services moves out of the school building they’re been renting at $30,000 a year.

The Hyde County commissioners did not approve the budget the school board asked for, giving them $200,000 less than they requested.

“The total picture is an overall decrease,” Latimore said.

At the September 3rd school board meeting, Latimore and Hyde County Schools finance officer Ken Chilcoat will present a draft budget based on the funding (or lack thereof) that they now know they have (or don’t). At this point, “There are still a lot of unknowns,” Latimore said.

The school budget discussion also included the Ocracoke Youth Center’s request of $10,000 from Hyde County Schools to help fund the completion of Ocracoke Community Park. The school board said no to helping out the Community Park project.

“I know the Youth Center was disappointed,” said Ocracoke’s school board representative David Tolson. “If funding was better, we’d reconsider. The park is a great thing, but we are strapped.”

Latimore echoed his sentiments. “We support the ballpark. It’s a grand concept. It’s needed,” he said. He didn’t need to add the "But, ….." It went without saying. 

So, if you were hoping that Hyde County Schools would help out the ballfield, keep hoping. If you were hoping that Ocracoke School would be able to restore the art teacher position, those hopes are dashed. If you fear the worst – that Ocracoke School will lose more positions – then you will have to wait until next month to learn more.

But – if you were on pins and needles wondering if the after school program will continue, then you’re in luck. Linda Willis presented the “excellent news” that Hyde County Schools was refunded for the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant through 2018 to the tune of $1.6 million.

The competition was tight this year, she reported, and she’d been “concerned” about eligibility. Of the three priority points the grant funders were considering, Hyde County Schools only had one going for it: geographical isolation. (The other priorities are low test scores and creating a new after school program, but because we’ve already had the program and our test scores have improved, we did not have that competitive edge.)

The hours and days of the after school program will remain the same (Monday-Thursday, 3-6pm), but, Willis said, “This grant will focus on support for the students academically. We will have reading and math specialist working with the teachers, more communication between the after school program and the daytime school, and more homework assistance.”

Willis added that the program will likely start around September 29th, and will include a parent component (“We’ll make a better effort at parent engagement,” Willis said.) including a Mother Read class for families with children up to age 5, and positive parenting classes for families with children up to age 12. There will also be adult basic skills classes, and the kids will participate in an anti-bullying program called Restorative Justice.

“The after school program will have an emphasis on healthy living through our Kate B. Reynolds grant, an emphasis on S.T.E.M. subjects through our Burroughs Wellcome grant, and an emphasis on arts and music with the 21st CCLC grant,” Willis said. 

Ahh, that’s a relief. Your kids can get art and music at Ocracoke School as long as they stay until 6pm. Everyone loves a 10-hour work day! Especially six year-olds.