After long and often passionate debate, the Leon County School Board voted Tuesday, March 24 to slash next year's district budget by $7.8 million. Superintendent Rocky Hanna held out the slim hope that the Florida Legislature might help offset the reduction when it finally passes a budget for the whole state.
"We do hope that when the legislature returns, that we will have better news than we are expecting. If we do, we always said that we can go back and add some of these things back to the staffing plan and dollars that we push down to our schools for arts and athletics and for these community field trips that our kids so enjoy and appreciate."
But as things stand now, the cuts include a $4.8 million reduction in staffing, $2.3 million in district spending and half-a-million dollars less for arts and athletics. Hanna told school board members the district had little choice in the matter.
"I feel as though it's prudent for us, as hard as it is, to prepare for the worst and prepare as though we're going to receive basically the same amount of revenue next year that we did this year, that we did last year."
The unanimous vote to cut the local schools' budget came after months of often agonized discussion and pleas from many district employees not to reduce spending.
