By Ely Portillo
elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com

County commissioners cut Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' budget for the current school year by $6.3 million Tuesday night, but officials said they will be able to avoid immediate layoffs.

CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman said the cuts will dig the school system into a deeper budget hole next fiscal year.

"We've chosen not to do midyear layoffs," he said. "This will impact us deeper next year."

To cover the $6.3 million gap, CMS will draw on two one-time payments: $1.6 million from the county in refunds for overpayments in rent and utilities and $4.7 million from the city of Charlotte in unpaid revenue from the city's now-defunct red light camera program.

Only commissioner George Dunlap voted against the cut, which reduces Mecklenburg's budget allocation for CMS to about $311 million this year.

The CMS money was among $20 million in cuts to county departments and other agencies announced last month to deal with a shortfall of about $36 million for the budget year that ends in June.

The county also is taking money from its reserves to balance this year's budget.

Commissioners said the CMS budget picture only grows bleaker next fiscal year. "The money's not there," Commissioner Dumont Clarke said. "It's going to result in layoffs; we just can't help it."

Gorman has said the system expects to lose $78.2 million next fiscal year due to cuts from the state and county; CMS would have to lay off about 1,000 workers, including 600 teachers and 164 teacher's assistants.

If those cuts happen, Gorman has said CMS would have to increase class sizes, decrease the number of bus stops, institute fees for athletic programs and possibly eliminate some middle school sports.

County officials will also probably push for state legislation giving CMS local autonomy to furlough school workers and shorten the school year if necessary.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/21/1389002/county-cuts-current-cms-budget.html#ixzz0lkDnqdRP
 

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