May 21, 2012
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Dozens of people will lose their jobs including teachers in Knox County schools, after a tight budget left school board members cutting $19 million.
The final $2 million to cut was where the real debate came in for the Knox County School Board, despite knowing what they had to do financially, it was a tough vote for the school board. Because, their vote to accept the budget for the next school year means positions will be cut, and that includes teachers.
A long list of cuts make up the budget for the 2010-2011 school year, to balance it at a little more than $378 million.
School Board member, Dan Murphy, said during the meeting, "This board is operating with a finite set of resources." Murphy expressed to the room of concerned parents and school staff, they are not happy with the cuts, but it's something they have to do.
School Board Chair, Indya Kincannon said, "Our budget does have a lot of cuts, of course we cut first in non-instructional areas, equipment, supplies, travel, text books, mowing, maintenance, all those things. And then that didn't cut the budget enough"
The final nearly $2 million to come out of the budget, came in the form of 30 teaching positions, and 10 teaching assistants.
Kincannon said, "That's painful. That's painful to the people who might be losing their jobs, but its also painful to our students who are left in schools who might not have as many opportunities."
Superintendent Jim McIntyre said, "It is a challenging budget, no question about it, but I think it's a budget that is educationally responsible as well as being fiscally responsible."
But, the board decided to add an amendment to their budget, that will ask for more funding from County Commission.
In describing the recommended amendment, School Board member, Thomas Deakins said, "The Knox County Commission appropriate an additional 1.73 million to the Knox County Schools."
Enough to to keep the 30 teachers, and the 10 teaching aides.
Kincannon said, "If County Commission can somehow find a way to give us that small additional increase that would reduce the pain quite a bit."
Superintendent McIntyre will present the budget, and a full list of who will lose their job based on the cuts, to the county commission in the near future.
The School Board also voted Wednesday evening on the controversy over the text book "Asking About Life."
A parent requested it be removed, as it is now being used in Honors Biology in the High Schools, because of a passage about creationism.
The passage in question says, "the biblical myth that the universe was created by Judeo Christian god in seven days."
The board agreed to uphold Farragut High School's decision to keep the book, but it will be replaced when funding is available, which they already planned to do.
The Board asked the Superintendent send a note to the publisher, explaining their disagreement with the word "myth."
