With state lawmakers expecting to vote on a budget sometime Monday, more and more superintendents are sounding the alarm saying the budget will hurt public education.
On top of the per-pupil funding issues, there's now cuts to the state’s Title I program,which helps the state’s neediest children.
Martin County Schools’ Superintendent Laurie Gaylord says if this budget passes her district is looking at a loss of a half-million dollars.
What’s just as concerning, she says, is the impact the budget cuts will have on Martin County’s Title I schools.
Gaylord says they could be looking at losing Title I designations at three schools of the county’s eight qualifying schools.
Losing Title I funding could force the district to cut vital services, like reading and writing coaches, and the parent resource center.
“If this passes right now, we’re going to have a tough couple of weeks here because as we wind down one school year and we get ready for a new school year, we’ll be scrambling to figure out about personnel issues about program issues,” said Gaylord.
School officials in Martin County estimate the Title I cuts would impact more than 2,300 students in the district, about 15 jobs and several vital services.
The superintendent is urging the governor to veto the budget.