Supervisors question school salaries in budget

By Cheryl Chumley

Published: April 10, 2008

The most important aspect of the Prince William school budget is to keep teacher salaries competitive with surrounding jurisdictions, the chairman of the board told supervisors at a Tuesday evening presentation.

"We need to remain competitive in salary and compensation," said Milt Johns, chairman at-large of the county School Board. "Almost 80 percent of our budget is dedicated to salary and benefits."

The latest version of the county schools' budget plan for fiscal 2009, which seems to be in a state of constant flux, Johns said, calls for $18.5 million for proposed 3 percent merit increases and another $19.6 million for separate 3 percent cost-of-living increases.

According to a pie chart shown to supervisors, salaries and compensation plans account for 77.8 percent of the school's budget—but there's "over 10,000 employees in the school system," Johns said, and over 80 percent of the total budget "is focused on instruction."

Still, supervisors didn't let pass unchallenged the School Board's characterization of teacher raises as a need.

Board member Michael May, R-Occoquan, asked for the actual teacher salaries for all nine school districts that Prince William uses for comparison purposes. Supervisor Wally Covington, R- Brentsville, questioned why Prince William administrative salaries seemed to rise at a much higher rate than teachers, according to research he said he conducted using state Department of Education statistics. Vice chairman John Stirrup, R-Gainesville, raised the need for the school to provide a more thorough report that compared full compensation packages, rather than just salaries. And Chairman Corey Stewart, R-at large, questioned the logic of comparing Prince William to certain other jurisdictions.

School officials have relied in large part on information gleaned from the annual Washington Area Boards of Education survey to support the need for boosted pay for teachers and employees. The surveys, conducted each year by a different WABE member, compare Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Montgomery County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince George's County, Manassas City and Prince William.

"Why these jurisdictions?" Stewart asked Johns. "We are the southernmost jurisdiction of all of these and in many cases, the lowest-cost county [to live in]."

Stewart suggested a better comparison might include input from Fauquier, Stafford and Fredericksburg districts. In response, Johns pointed to the demographics and said in terms of certain measurements, like numbers related to English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, the other eight WABE jurisdictions were most similar.

Johns also addressed another concern brought forth by certain board members and community residents—that of administrative salaries.

Pointing to a report that tracks such expenses, Johns said Prince William has "consistently run below the national average" in terms of pay for administrators who serve in large school districts.

"In the latest from 2007, we are 44 percent of the national average," he said. "So I think the notion we are a bloated bureaucracy is probably a little bit overstated and I think that this graphic is fairly compelling."

For fiscal 2009, the school budget proposes more than $1.3 million in salary increases for the top 10 or so central office staff and administrators, according to the most recent figures.

The school's fiscal year plan is aimed at providing for an estimated 1,800 increase in student population to roughly 74,000. While the numbers of ESOL students have dropped by about 800—resulting in a reduction of teachers by about 40, Johns said, in answer to a question from Stirrup—the overall pupil population is still on the upswing, albeit at a slower rate.

In brief, the school's fiscal 2009 operating budget is set at about $824 million, with nearly $60 million figured for debt service. Just over $190 million is proposed for construction; almost $30 million for food service; and an estimated $57 million for health insurance.

The figures were current as of Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Johns said, and are subject to change, as state and county fiscal pictures become clearer.

Staff writer Cheryl Chumley can be reached at 703-670-1907 or .