FRANKLIN CO., Va. – Parents and school employees criticized the Franklin County Public Schools Monday night over plans to eliminate 10 family liaison positions as the district continues to grapple with budget shortfalls.
The liaisons work with students and families on issues ranging from tutoring and academic support to legal matters and access to community resources. The positions make up a significant portion of the roughly 60 jobs recently cut by the school system.
While a majority of those 60 jobs are vacancies going unfilled, many of the liaisons are being laid off.
“If we lose our liaisons and these support systems, teachers and staff will feel the stretch, students in crisis will suffer, and the strain ripples out,” Franklin County resident Tabitha Collinson told the school board.
Family liaison Lindsey Grow also urged the board to reconsider the cuts.
“Ensuring our most vulnerable don’t bear the cost should have been, and always be, non-negotiable,” Grow said.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Siers said the district’s financial problems stem from several factors, including stagnant federal funding, changes to the state’s local composite index and declining student enrollment.
The local composite index, which uses factors such as property values and income levels to determine a locality’s ability to fund schools, has increased for Franklin County. As a result, the state is expected to provide less financial support to the district.
Siers said the district is projected to receive about $5 million less in state funding than in previous years. He added that increases in local funding have not been enough to close the gap.
Franklin County is one of the few school districts in the region to employ family liaisons. Siers said the district plans to assess how to cover the responsibilities currently handled by those employees.
“Schools can be successful without family liaisons in there,” Siers said. “We just have to assess what all of their duties are and come up with a plan to help make sure those duties are covered.”
The district is still awaiting final funding figures from the state.