AREA SCHOOLS BATTLE FINANCES

Superintendents at some area schools say that even if a proposed $385 million tax increase is approved by voters in November, relief is at least two years away.

Salaries in Oak Ridge, Chaffee, Thomas W. Kelly and Scott County Central school districts are frozen for the next school year and Scott City is likely to freeze its salaries also.

"We're frozen solid, from top to bottom," said Roger Tatum, superintendent of the Oak Ridge district.

Robert Brison, superintendent at Scott City Schools, said the much-discussed bill approved by the legislature Friday is "too little too late."

Brison added, "It appears as if we will freeze salaries at the current level without advancing anyone."

All teachers at Kelly Schools near Benton will work next year for the same salary they got this year, said Michael Johnson, superintendent.

"It's a hard pill to swallow," Johnson said.

The following is a sampling of the financial quandary faced by some area schools.

Scott City

Brison said the Scott City Board of Education met Thursday to discuss cost-cutting measures.

The starting teachers' salary in Scott City is $18,500. The top salary is $29,600.

The district has a small deficit in the teacher's fund this year. Brison anticipates a deficit in that fund next year of $25,000 to $50,000.

"That's one of the things we discussed Thursday night. How much we can afford to deficit spend? Our balances have to last two years."

Brison blames Scott City's financial situation on inadequate state funding.

"Since the present administration has been in the governor's office, there has been lack of leadership toward funding education," Brison said. "When Ashcroft took office, schools were receiving about 34 percent of the state's general revenue. Now that is down to about 26 percent.

"These eight years have really had a crippling effect on what schools can do," Brison said.

In the legislation is about $190 million for public schools.

"I think the main catalyst that got the legislature busy in this session was the lawsuit," Brison said. About 80 Missouri school districts have filed suit charging that schools are not funded adequately by the state.

"They know the likelihood of winning this adequacy charge is not good," he said.

Brison said he expects the lawsuit to have a more immediate effect on school funding than the tax package. Depositions in the case are being taken now.

"It appears as if it will go to the courts before this measure the General Assembly has passed goes to a vote of the people," Brison said.

Kelly Schools

The beginning teachers' salary at Kelly is $18,000 and the top salary is $27,010.

Even with the salary freeze, Johnson said the school's budget situation will worsen.

"There is no new funding; in fact, we are expecting a reduction in funding. The state department has notified us to budget 97 percent of what we're getting this year."

The school will have a $70,000 deficit in the teachers fund. Next year, the deficit will be worse. Johnson said the district has money in reserve, but it won't last forever.

"Even if the new tax proposal is approved by voters," Johnson said. "It would be a year or two before we would see any benefits. We're looking at two years of serious funding deficits.

"Ultimately, if it stays this way very long, school districts can't continue to operate."

Chaffee

John Payne, superintendent at Chaffee Public Schools, said his district, for the first time, is freezing salaries.

"This is the first time that we have had a salary freeze for teachers," Payne said. "Last year we froze non-certificated staff, but we allowed teachers to move on the schedule. We're not even doing that this year. This is a total freeze."

A beginning teacher will earn $18,900 and the top teachers' salary is $26,700.

Like Johnson, Payne said the salary freeze will not offer financial relief for next year.

Payne said even with the freeze the district will be deficit spending as much as $50,000 next year. The district has balances to make up that difference.

"We have fairly healthy reserves," Payne said. "We can do that for a year or two but that's it.

"We've been tightening our belts for a long time," he said. "If no relief is gained from the state, the next step is layoffs.

"The state is just simply going to have to pump more money into education."

But Payne said he was leery of last-minute legislation, like the education bill passed Friday.

"This is an extremely dangerous time for schools," Payne said. "If they make changes two days before the end of the session, people don't have a chance to react and sometimes poor legislation is approved."

He is also concerned about calls for changing the foundation formula, the basic method by which state funds are distributed to local schools.

"Depending on what kind of school district you are, a change can have disastrous effects," he said.

Oak Ridge

Oak Ridge pays beginning teachers $16,200. The state makes up the difference to bring that salary to the mandated minimum of $18,000. The top teachers' salary in the district is $24,219.

Tatum said the district's budget "hopefully" will break even this year. Next year, Oak Ridge will deficit spend about $21,000 in the teachers fund.

"Unfortunately, like most of other school districts, we're hurting because of inadequate funding," Tatum said.

"I think this year at least we saw some movement on the part of the General Assembly and even the governor," Tatum said. "I think they can see there are some things needed for education, additional funds being one of them."

But Tatum said the approved package won't solve Oak Ridge's problems for next year.

"This measure still has to go to a vote of people and even if it does pass, it wouldn't take effect for a year or two. We have to plan our budget for next year now."

Scott County Central

W. Ray Shoaf, superintendent at Scott County Central, said the staff in his school district will be working for the same pay next year also.

"We will probably be taking home less money because insurance will probably go up," Shoaf said.

A starting teacher at Scott County Central is paid $18,500 and the top teachers' salary is $25,650.

Shoaf said the district would deficit spend about $18,000 this year. The school has balances to make up the deficit. "But the deficit will be bigger next year. You can't continue to dig into balances forever."

Shoaf says increased state funding for public schools is needed, but he was not pleased with the proposed tax package approved Friday.

"The problem with this package is that they have mixed elementary and secondary with college money," he said.

"And this thing is being done at the midnight hour," Shoaf said. "I really doubt that the legislators really know what is in this package."

Scott County Central is part of the statewide lawsuit calling for "adequate funding."

Shoaf supports a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee 33 percent of the state's general revenue be spent on public school education.

"According to the state constitution," Shoaf said, "after the state pays its debts, education is to be the number one priority. Over the past six or seven years, that does not seem to be the case in Missouri."