Lawmakers urged to cut school days rather than furlough teachers again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If the state's continuing budget crisis necessitates more teacher furloughs, lawmakers should allow school districts to reduce the number of days kids are in school, a top state education official said Tuesday.
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Scott Austensen, the deputy state school superintendent for finance, told a joint House-Senate budget hearing that the six days of unpaid leave teachers have taken or will take have come from their required professional development days. Teachers typically have 10 of those a year and, Austensen said, state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox would rather teachers not lose all 10 to furloughs. State law doesn't allow for schools to meet for fewer than 180 days.
"We have to enact legislation to allow school systems to adapt," Austensen said. "Instead of having six days of furlough, say we give school districts the opportunity to reduce their schedules [by lengthening school days]."
Democratic leaders and the state PTA expressed concern over the idea.
Austensen also suggested lawmakers consider diverting state lottery money to help pay for technology needs in k-12 schools. That was an original lottery mission that was scrapped in 2003.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has come out against additional furloughs in the 2011 budget year that begins July 1. But state lawmakers are facing the potential of a $1 billion or more deficit, and top Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have said they are considering a variety of tax increases and fee hikes to help balance the books.
"What we do have to do is prioritize within the confines of the money we have available to us," Rep. Mickey Channell (R-Greensboro) said.
Lawmakers have halted their annual session to hold two weeks of budget negotiations and are meeting all this week with state agencies.
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