Clayton superintendent adjusts budget cuts

By Jeffry Scott

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Clayton County Public Schools superintendent Edmond Heatley told the school board Monday night the Clayton school system’s budget is in worse shape than he thought and is on track to lose $119 million by July 2012.

In February Heatley submitted a proposed budget that showed over the next three years that the system faced a $103 million shortfall if the board did not sign off on 83 recommendations he made for cutting expenses over those three years.

Those cuts, he said, would save the system $85.2 million, meaning the deficit by July 2012 would be about $34 million. On Monday night, he presenting an amended proposed budget that would still cut about $85 million over three years, but with the cuts coming from different places.

And, Heatley said, given the economy and lack of funding from the state and other sources, he likely will recommend more cuts by the time he presents a detailed budget to the school board April 26.

“Even if the board were to approve everything I present, we still have to go another round,” he said. “I wish I had a magic wand, but unfortunately, when I walk out of here, not everybody is going to be happy.”

In his revised budget, for instance, instead of slashing some top positions in the central office, he proposed reducing division budgets by 5% for three years, an additional cut of $6 million from his previous recommendation.

Clayton schools, which lost their accreditation for a year before it was restored provisionally last May – the system is still on probation – have been battered by state cutbacks and a tough economy the same way other metro schools have been hammered.

Cobb Schools said their budget shortfall could hit $100 million and DeKalb could be $115 million in the hole.