General Fund Budget Committee Meeting (Updated)

The General Fund Budget Committee of the Board of Supervisors will host a public meeting on Tuesday, March 27th at 6:00 PM in the Lord Botetourt High School Auditorium for the purpose of receiving input on the FY13 County Budget. The County Budget currently projects a deficit of approximately $3,670,000, primarily due to mandated spending increases imposed on both the County and the Schools by the State. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the Board of Supervisors and the School Board are considering significant cuts and/or reductions to the County and School Division Budgets which in turn could drastically reduce or potentially eliminate certain services provided by both the County and the Schools. As of the School Board Budget Committee meeting held on Thursday, March 22, 2012 the School Division is facing a shortfall of between $1M and $2.5M depending upon the approval/acceptance of reductions presented on Thursday. To further address the anticipated shortfall, the School Board Budget Committee has been asked to consider the following reductions: Salary Reductions Staff Reductions Elimination of Instructional Programs/Courses Elimination of the Retirement Service Plan Elimination of Middle School Athletics Elimination of High School Athletics "Pay to Play" Program for Athletics to create new revenue source School Closure - (Elementary) If you are unable to attend the the meeting on the 27th, feel free to contact members of the Board of Supervisors to express your concerns as a student, parent, patron, or employee of Botetourt County Public Schools. As you make contact, please know that the County is not to blame. This is a direct reflection of state government passing on mandated costs to local governments and schools. The County has been and will continue to be our valuable partner as we all strive to make Botetourt County a great place to live, work, and raise a family.