Stephens Co. BOE Finalizes Cuts, Adjusts Calendar

The Stephens County school system finalizes the laying off of about 30 employees.

On Thursday, the Stephens County Board of Education voted 6 to 1 to approve a Human Resources Report that included the termination of 28 classified employees and the resignation of 1 classified employee.

Board member Rodney Moore, Jr. was again the lone Board member to vote against the cuts. He also voted against the cuts announced on Tuesday.

Positions cut Thursday include multiple paraprofessional, clerical, and custodial positions, along with some others.

Not included in Thursday’s Human Resources report but also cut this week were four certified positions when the school board voted Tuesday to close the Crossroads alternative school program.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said the process does work a little differently for the four certified positions at Crossroads because those individuals were contract employees.

“They have been notified in person that we are eliminating the program,” said Dorsey. “They will be getting a charge letter, which gives them the right to a hearing which they may exercise.”

Also, Dorsey said that the only four certified positions eliminated in these cuts were the ones at Crossroads.

In all, 33 positions were affected this week by the cuts.

The lay-offs were not the only cuts made this week by the school board as it also voted to add seven additional work and school calendar reduction days to this current school year, reducing pay further this year for all staff.

Dorsey said all of this week’s cuts were designed to reduce the monthly cash flow by $163,000 a month.

He said that is necessary because if no changes were made,

Now, Dorsey said this buys the school system time and also does hopefully push back when the school system will have to borrow money in Calendar Year 2016.

“It buys ourselves a chance to adjust for the FY 16 budget,” said Dorsey. “We know that we are going to have to look at some additional cuts. That is a given. With those cuts, we will be able to build a balance in cash flow in December to then get us to jump a similar situation where we are borrowing (tax anticipation notes) in March or April (of 2016).”

The school system will borrow in February for this calendar year.

Dorsey went on to say that Thursday was, other than a day where a school system loses a child, the worst day of his professional career.

“Some bad decisions were made in the past and unfortunately, some good folks are having to pay for those now,” said Dorsey. “It saddens myself and I can tell you it has weighed heavily on our board. I know it has a large impact on our students and community. I am certainly in prayer for all those folks.”

The job cuts approved Thursday by the Board of Education all take effect on February 4.

Meanwhile, the Stephens County school system also adjusts its calendar to account for the additional loss of seven work and school calendar reduction days included in this week’s school cuts.

The Stephens County Board of Education approved an amended calendar on Thursday morning.

Dorsey said the extra days off will come at Spring Break and at the end of the school year.

“We added two days to Spring Break, so we reduced student and work days for April 1 and 2,” said Dorsey. “Then we removed the student and work days for the last week of school and made the last day for students May 15.”

Dorsey said post-planning was moved to May 18 and 19.

When it comes to high school graduation, Dorsey said a decision on whether to change that date because school lets out earlier will be made at the school level.

“We know that a lot of people plan long range for graduation, so that date may not be moved,” said Dorsey.

The Board of Education approved the amended calendar unanimously.