Local school employees who survived the layoffs caused by state budget cuts, will now have to deal with furlough days after the governor’s announcement of more funding cuts, including the equivalent of three days of salaries from the state school systems’ funding.

“One of my concerns is that our teachers, you know, they’ve already been cut,” said Superintendent Tom Wilson. “The percentage that teachers are having to pay into teacher’s retirement increased this year, I think 25 percent, if I’m not mistaken. There were some benefits that we’ve already cut regarding after-school care for our employees. So, I’m just real concerned about that.”

So far, neither system has made a decision about how the furloughs will be handled. The Carroll County Schools discussed furloughing all employees for two days at the July school board meeting, but board members didn’t vote on the plan. The system posted a new plan on its Web site listing three furlough days for all employees – the elimination of parent conferences in October and March that would have required the schools be open for half a day that students weren’t in school, as well as two teacher work days, one in October and one in January.

“We just didn’t have enough information,” Assistant Superintendent of Carroll County Schools Christie Johnson said of the change from two proposed furlough days to three. “We at the board meeting, I think we were talking about a $2.2 million cut. ... It’s actually $3.2 million. So, we’re having to make that work.”

The school system had not realized that all departments were included in the furlough days along with teachers. The additional payroll cuts from transportation, nursing and administration made it impossible to absorb that third furlough day, she said. So, the system reviewed the calendar and chose three days that would have the least impact on students.

“We are required to provide students 180 days of instruction or the equivalent,” Johnson said. “So, that is what we’re going to do, but it does become more difficult when the number of professional days are reduced and we have less flexibility in working with our teachers to meet those needs.”

The teachers will still be able to meet with parents, just by appointment on school days, she said.

These latest cuts will be felt in the classroom, Wilson said. When you start cutting teachers’ days, it does impact instruction. The teacher work days are often spent working in the classroom, working with other teachers, working on lesson plans, organizing the classroom – all things that help make the learning environment more productive.

“If it’s a work day, if it’s a teacher planning day, that does impact what goes on in the classroom,” he said. “These aren’t days that are frivolous free-days. These are work days, that a lot is accomplished, so it does impact the instructional program anytime you have to furlough teachers.”

Not all school systems are cutting all the furlough days, Wilson said. Some are absorbing the cuts or cutting in other areas to avoid instituting the furlough days. Some systems may take the cuts out of their fund equity rather than instituting furlough days. In addition, not all positions are funded by the state. Some are funded locally or with federal dollars.

“Our employees are our strongest asset,” Wilson said. “They’re more important than our facilities or anything else. Our employees, they’re the key to success of the school system and I want to do everything in our power to support them and I’m sure the board does, too.”

So far, the city system is still working on its plan to deal with these latest funding cuts and doesn’t know exactly how the board of education might decide to handle them.

Officials at both systems are approaching these latest cuts with their eyes on the possibility of future cuts. Although no one can see the future, many economists are predicting the recession will last through the rest of the year and the governor hinted at more cuts coming in January.

“We don’t know what the General Assembly or the governor will do, but we are reviewing now to determine now what we may need to do in the event those decisions are made,” Johnson said. “It just remains to be seen.”

However, no matter what the future holds, the systems are working to provide the best education they can to the state’s students despite the cuts and they know the teachers will do the same, they said.

“Teachers and staff, they are dedicated professionals,” Johnson said. “They will do what needs to be done. Teachers are, they are just special people and they will always put students first no matter how tight the budget is.”