CSD: No Teacher Furloughs…For Now
Decatur Metro | July 29, 2009For the past week or so we’ve been reading daily about the metro-area fallout from the governor’s decision to help fill around 10% of the state’s $900 million budget shortfall by asking (not telling) school systems to put their teachers on 3-day furloughs sometime in the coming school year.
Within hours of the governors request, both Gwinnett and Forsyth counties announced their furlough days, while Cobb County decided to dip into their reserves to cover the shortfall. Closer to home, DeKalb County, who already has one furlough day this school year due to a local revenue shortage, announced they wouldn’t enact furloughs, but instead would eliminate payments to teacher and administration retirement plans.
But, what about Decatur? In response to my question, Asst. Superintendent Thomas Van Soelen forwarded a note that was just sent out to teachers.
The governor has decided to withhold 3 days worth of salaries for school districts this coming school year. Doctor Edwards will present a plan to the board of education in August, but she wanted to let each of you know now that preplanning days for teachers and paraprofessionals are not affected. The first day back will still be August 5, Opening Day at Agnes Scott College. If City Schools of Decatur needs to eliminate three days, the days will occur later on in the year.
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City of Atlanta schools announced this morning that they won’t furlough teachers either.
Regardless, we should all marvel at the State’s creative ability to push responsibility of their crushing debt onto local communities and (even better!) individuals.
Sonny seems to be able to push his problems down pretty consistently. Another example that comes to mind is the discontinuance of the property tax abatement. I hope we can get some real leadership under the gold dome next time around.
If Decatur can’t cover 3 days of teacher salaries, they have no business borrowing 10 million dollars at $600,000 interest per year. If they choose not to pay salaries and still borrow the money, that some messed up priorities.
The $10M is construction money from a bond issue and has nothing to do with teacher’s salaries.
No. The new construction. The as-yet-to-be borrowed money and interest. The interest will come from the school budget, no?
The bond issue is providing the money for the new construction, along with some SPLOST money. The interest and principal on the bonds is being amortized over time, much like a mortgage.
Are you saying that the interest for the bond issue comes from the bond issue?
The periodic payments for the bond issue, principal and interest, come from the additional tax levy approved by the voters. Normally, when you make a mortgage payment, some of it goes to principal, some to interest. A bond payment works the same way.
Foodie is right. There has been no bond issue approved by the voters for the new construction at Fifth Ave., nor is there SPLOST money for it. That will be an interest only loan (for now). The bond money is covering the new high school facilities, and was supposed to pay for the new gym at Renfroe, if it had stretched that far.
Foodie never explained what new construction was being discussed and I was responding re: the bond issue.
I’m not surprised. Decatur takes care of its teachers and tries to make well-thought decisions. I trust Dr. Edwards.
Hurray for CSD for doing the right thing! CSD is nothing without its great teachers and I don’t want my kids missing even a day of it.
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