Facing a funding shortfall of more than $1.1 million, the Wilkes County Board of Education met in a workshop Friday afternoon to hear Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Caddell’s plan to deal with the problem.

The cuts were very deep, she said, “but we’re close to filling the gap without cutting any programs, and with creative scheduling we’re keeping the cuts away from the classroom except for furlough days.”

Caddell went over the losses in funding thus far: the Wilkes County school system has lost a total of $1,124,982, including $665,941 in state funding and $459,041 in Federal ARRA Funds.

The most painful cuts for local educators and administrators are six furlough days, two of which will be during the school year, for a savings of $360,564.

The Wilkes Remediation Plan also includes the re-alignment or reduction of administrative supplements, which will save $19,487.48. “This is in addition to the suspension of local supplements that we incurred in 2009-10 and which will be continued in 2010-11,” she said.

Several administrators will have reductions in the length of their contracts – some being reduced from 12 months to 11, some 11 months to 10, or 10.5 to 10 months, saving $15,238.13.

The plan eliminates two clerical positions, one through a retirement, which will save $49,641.13. Three teaching positions will be eliminated, with two of those through retirement, saving $178,851.47. “These amounts include total costs of the positions, including benefits, etc. This is not just take-home pay,” she said.

Two paraprofessionals will be lost through attrition, saving $34,193.24, and one retiree will be replaced with a less experienced teacher saving $34,268.97.

The plan will move the funding of allowable special education positions to take advantage of ARRA IDEA (Special Education) Federal funding for a savings of $90,953.

The plan includes savings from two waivers from the Georgia Department of Education. The waiver allowing a 20-day instructional extension for summer school will save $67,387, and a waiver for the 65 percent Instructional Expenditure Test will save $223,951.

The plan’s total savings amount to $1,074,535.42. “We still need to find $60,446.58,” Caddell said. “It’s not a pretty plan, but it’s a solid plan.”

It was important to note, Caddell told the Board of Education members, that even with the cuts, “what we have works, and we’re improving every year.”

Funding for the next year is still a concern, since the state has said that the expected 2011 stimulus funding would be used in 2010, and retirement fund contributions and teacher pay raises will increase payroll costs. To save money, the state has rolled back the school year to 175 days from 180, Caddell said, but because of planned snow days Wilkes County had set a 178-day curriculum. “So getting our curriculum into 175 days is not so hard.”