I have reviewed the staff cuts that Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is proposing to the Escambia County School Board. Cutting 50 bus drivers makes up 35% of the savings.
Superintendent: Information Services: $103,930 (-13.24%)
School Board Attorney: $62,862 (-12.44%)
Curriculum & Instruction: $660,437 (-11.51%)
Finance & Business Services: $118,588 (-5.15%)
Human Resource: $94,353 (-7.28%)
Operations-Transportation: $1,762,950 (13.9%)
Operations-Other: $523,805 (4.4%)
Total $3,326,925 (-9.47%)…111 jobs cut or shifted to other funds- $$ impact General Fund
Increased cost to other funds: $382,024… 17 jobs added
Net savings: 2,944,901 (-8.38%)…net 94 jobs cut
Savings in Superintendent: Information Services comes from deleting the Associate Superintendent-Public & Interagency Affairs.
School Board Attorney will not fill a position for legal assistant.
Curriculum & Instruction
Delete 2 Admin. Clerks
Not fill Dtr II-Evaluation Services (Thomasâs old position?)
Delete 2 Teachers on Special Assignment
Not fill Specialist School Psychologist
Finance & Business Services
Delete Acctg Specialist IV
Delete Admin Clerk
Change Payroll Specialist to 30 hr/wk
Human Resources
Delete Mgr V
Not Fill Admin Sec.
Hire Confidential Human Resource Office Admin Specialist ($47,669 – $1,121 more than Adm. Sec)
Operations-Transportation
Delete 50 School Bus Operators
Operations-Other
Delete 3 Admin Clerks
Delete A/C & Refrig. Mechanic
Delete Equip. Operator
Delete Maint. Mechanic
Delete Maint. Worker
Do not fill Plumber II
Demote Division Chief-Protection Services to Manager
Delete Storekeeper
Delete Dtr II-Applications Support
Switch Senior Systems Programmer to Landrum Services
The cuts impact two former Superintendent Jim Paul’s administrative hires. Ronnie Arnold will move into a school – a demotion. Steve Sharp – who heads school security and public safety – has had his position reduced to a manager level. The only division chief forced to take a pay cut.
Part of the savings comes from simply not filling positions that were budgeted in the 2008-2008 fiscal year – $440,541.
Other savings come from shifting 25 Bus Aides, Speech Diagnostician, Speech Specialists, Occupational Training Coordinator and Admin Secretary to the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
TSA mentors, Social Studies specialists, No Child Left Behind Coordinator were shifted to Title I and Title II funds.