ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke City School Board has voted to approve several programming reductions and cuts, as they continue to grapple with a major budget shortfall.
Some Roanoke families are going to see real changes to the services they rely on day to day.
Board members say they’re having to make difficult decisions to protect classrooms and jobs while cutting costs where they can.
Tuesday night, the board discussed scaling back these programs as they work to close a $14 million shortfall.
“We see you, we hear you, we are sorry,” board member Liz Quintana said.
This comes after months of conversation and difficult decisions.
“We are not insensitive to all of the concerns that people have,” board member Joyce Watkins said.
The board laid out difficult options to close the gap, including cuts and reductions to programs families rely on, while trying to minimize impact in the classroom.
School board member Dr. Eli Jamison says these cuts come on top of an already painful first round.
“This is the second half of our budget cuts. This is not our first. That included over 60 positions to be lost, and people who lost their jobs,” Jamison said.
Those cuts and reductions started with the three-year-old Virginia preschool initiative, or VPI, which provides free preschool for at-risk children.
Right now, RCPS has nine three-year-old VPI preschool classes, but that will be reduced to just three.
District leaders say the change will save about $430,000 in personnel costs.
Watkins says they’ve exhausted their options.
“This is hard, right, but we have considered everything that has come our way and then some,” she said.
Next, PLATO, the district’s gifted education program.
Currently, Plato serves students from all 17 elementary schools across nine classes, in grades three through five.
Under the new plan, third grade would be removed and the program consolidated to four classes at one location.
School board chair Franny Apel says it cuts both transportation and personnel costs.
“By going down to one site, it means transportation is centralized to just one of the sites,” Apel said.
The district is also making changes to the activity bus service.
Right now, activity buses get students home after school programs, sports, and tutoring.
But under the new plan, service will be cut back — running only during peak times like spring sports and late-season tutoring before finals.
“Our recommendation in that area is to reduce, not eliminate, activity bus services,” Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Jackson said.
Jamison says these cuts help preserve jobs.
“These are hard, but by my account, this is about 30 positions additionally that we didn’t cut. These cuts are saving 30 other jobs,” Jamison said.
The school board is expected to preview the final budget on May 26, with a final vote expected June 9.