MCSD considers furloughs to deal with budget shortfall while clarifying property taxes
Muscogee County School District employees will be furloughed if the board approves the superintendent’s recommendation next week.
The furloughs would be used to address a funding shortfall of more than $16.7 million, instead of raising property taxes, which had been suggested as an option last week. Monday, the board unanimously voted for a tentative millage rate that would generate the same amount of property taxes as this past fiscal year.
Superintendent David Lewis presented his plan during the board’s budget hearing, the first of three before the final vote July 20.
Last week, MCSD announced a possible property tax increase as the school district tries to make up for a reduction in state funding due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
Monday, however, Lewis and board members clarified last week’s news release was sent only to notify the public about the possibility of such an option.
The board is considering the following furlough recommendation:
▪ 190-day contract employees would be furloughed for five days.
▪ 220-day contract employees would be furloughed for six days.
▪ 240-day and 249-day contract employees would be furloughed for seven days.
▪ Lewis would be furloughed for nine days.
The furloughs would amount to a pay cut of 3% to 3.5% for the average salary, Lewis said.
When employees are furloughed, they aren’t paid but are allowed to return to work after the time off, as opposed to layoffs, when they are cut from their jobs.
Several board members said their $12,000 annual salary should be cut so they can participate in the financial sacrifice. They did not specify how much they would reduce their salaries.
The meeting was conducted via video conference. That also will be the format for the two other budget hearings on July 20 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The board plans to resume meeting in person next month, with social distancing guidelines in place.
After the meeting, in a phone interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, board finance committee chairwoman Cathy Williams of District 7 said the notice of an intended property tax increase had to be released because state law required that wording and timing.
“If the board had decided to take advantage of the option of raising taxes, we had to advertise that by tonight,” she said. “If we had not advertised that, we would not have been able to do it.”
But last week, the administration and finance committee developed an alternative to raising taxes: districtwide furloughs, realigning approximately 75 jobs, leaving some positions vacant and using more money from the fund balance.
“It’s not a sustainable model,” Williams said, “but we can do it to try to get through this crisis.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 9:41 PM.
