Published: June 01, 2009 11:17 pm      

School board amends budget

Officials plan around county nursing home sale money

CUMBERLAND — The sale of Allegany County’s debt-laden nursing home would fatten public education coffers by about $285,000, but school officials aren’t counting their chickens yet.

Instead, they’re making budget cuts.

The Allegany County Board of Education eliminated five staff positions to save about $271,000 Monday as it prepares for a worst-case scenario: a no sale.

“That cut will be through attrition — there will be no pink slips, no furloughs,” finance director Randy Bittinger said of the five positions being eliminated. “(We’ve) identified several positions that aren’t needed because of declined enrollment, more efficient scheduling.”

The school board approved an amended 2010 budget of $113,767,070 during a special meeting Monday morning. That’s a decrease of $271,638 — a fraction of the almost $28 million the county has already promised the school system.

Allegany HealthCare Group is poised to buy Allegany County Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center for $8 million, but commissioners aren’t appropriating funds until the sale is final — possibly by June 30.

County government first solicited bids more than a year ago for the 153-bed nursing home, when it was more than half a million dollars in the red. With 160 employees and about 140 residents, the nursing home had accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars of bad debt over the years, mostly because people couldn’t pay their bills.

If the sale goes through and the $285,000 of county funding is restored to the school district, it would be best spent on textbooks, Bittinger said. As part of a routine replacement schedule, the board must buy $1.6 million in textbooks in 2011.

“Of course, Dr. Cox will be on board by then, and maybe his thoughts are different,” Bittinger said of David Cox, who takes over as superintendent July 1. Two-term Superintendent Bill AuMiller retires at the end of this month.

“I’ve discussed this with him and he seems to be in agreement that it’s a viable plan at this point,” Bittinger said.

Monday’s revised budget includes several other amendments that involve shuffling — not cutting — funds.

Changes include appropriating $7,000 to each high school band to help offset travel and other costs. The funds are a compromise solution to a request earlier in the year that funding be made available for assistant band directors at each of the high schools.

AuMiller said that the board should consider overhauling the funding system for extracurricular activities once the new superintendent is on board.

“A good example, several of the schools would like to start JV mock trial teams, and there’s no money available,” AuMiller said.

Despite a struggling economy and cash-strapped local and state governments, Allegany County schools are not in bad financial shape, several board members said Monday.

“I think in comparison to other school districts, we’re a lot stronger,” said Tom Striplin.

Added Jeff Metz: “A lot of systems would just love to be where we’re at.”

Even with a reserve fund of about $7 million, the board should be prepared for a lean economic future, Bittinger said.

“I’m advising you to be very cautious and remain cautious,” he said. “I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.”

Contact Kristin Harty at kharty@times-news.com.