HOLLY HILL - The impact of the economic downturn on Orangeburg Consolidated School District Three is yet to come, Superintendent Dr. David Longshore cautioned during the school board's December meeting.

Longshore said he attended a roundtable meeting with State Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex recently to discuss revenues. He said school districts would see another round of cuts from between two to four percent across the board after the Budget and Control Board's meeting on Dec. 11.

Longshore said the district has already lost $213,493 in EIA cuts and $220,476.05 in EFA cuts, for a total loss of $433,969.05.

"We will know on Thursday what is coming. Dr. Rex thinks there will be another cut after Christmas as well. In my tenure, I do not recall ever having budget cuts in the middle of the year," Longshore said.

But that's not the bad news, he added.

"The bad news is that they do not expect next year to be any better. In fact, we were told that the probability (is) that the appropriations for next year could be as much as 20 percent-plus below what they were for this current year," the OCSD 3 superintendent said.

"Most districts, including us, will be able to squeeze by this year without affecting instructional program personnel," Longshore continued, "but I think it will be real difficult next year, because most of your budget is tied to salaries and benefits. Many of the forecasters are asserting that the revenue shortfall so far to this point is a result of tax breaks that the state has issued over the last few years and the effects of the downturn in the economy is yet to come. That will be coming probably shortly in the next year."

As a result of the budget cuts, Board Vice Chairman Jamie Courtney made a motion to suspend all out-of-state travel for all board members.

"I would really like to ask this board to cut our travel out completely, but I do want to make a motion to cut out-of-state travel. My concern is that we are looking down the road at having to let people go," Courtney said. "It is probably going to happen, and I would like to make the motion that out-of-state travel for the board be cut out."

He said that in the 10 to 11 years he's been on the board, he could not remember anything that had been brought back from the conventions that had been implemented. While Courtney said he thought the board members needed training, he felt out-of-state travel should be discontinued.

Even though his motion was seconded, it failed by a vote of 4-2.

Trustee Jacqueline Shuler voted against the motion, saying she thought the "networking and knowledge" gained by members at conventions and conferences were important.

Courtney noted, "I think travel pays us for our motel rooms. It pays us $150 per day ... and I can't eat $150 worth a day. You can still go to anything in-state that the school board association has, but anything out-of-state would be out, and my reason being is for money's sake. The money is not just going to keep coming in. If you can feel good about telling a teacher we are going to have to let you go but we can continue to go to these conferences, I can disagree with it."

Trustee Ida Damon said she needed "more training if I am going to be an effective member on the board."

"I want to be able to effectively digest things and effectively know what I am talking about. I don't want to be ignorant about anything that is happening on this board. I agree with what Ms. Shuler says, that we could probably limit travel. But to totally cut this out, no," Damon said.

In other business, the board:

* Observed a moment of silence for student Hakeem Guest, who passed away.

* Received an unqualified, clean opinion on its independent audit report for 2007-2008.

* Approved the attendance bonus for the next quarter. The attendance bonus rewards teachers for perfect attendance during each quarter and is seen as a money-saver by not having to pay teachers as well as substitutes when teachers are absent.

T&D Correspondent S.W. Shoptaw can be reached by e-mail at Swsx5@aol.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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