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| Governor's Proposed Budget Cuts Deep Impact into Ballard County |
Anita Bugg Ballard Weekly Newspaper
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Governor’s Proposed Budget Cut Deep Impact in Ballard County Fire & Emergency Services and Schools
By Anita Bugg
Ballard Weekly Exclusive
Fire & Emergency Services
An executive order issued on January 4th by Governor Steve Beshear could leave Ballard County in a world of hurt. The Governor was forced to make budget cuts across the state. Two of the areas that will be hit hard, should the proposed budget pass, are rescue squads and the school systems.
Kentucky Emergency Management will be forced to cut its budget by three (3%) percent and that cut will come from 100% of the funding allocated to Kentucky rescue squads for training and equipment grants. These cuts will have adverse effect on the volunteers that respond to car accidents, water recovery, water rescue weather services and missing persons. Ballard County Emergency Manager Jody Brown says that without the funding, Ballard County could feel the hurt sooner than later. “Without that money coming from Kentucky Emergency Management, we will have no training for personnel, no way of replacing worn out, damaged or lost equipment. We will have to go to the county government for assistance in paying for these things and that will put a burden on the county budget.”
Citizens across the Commonwealth expect the rescue squad to respond when called no matter the time. Volunteers from area fire departments and emergency services go when the call comes in regardless of the weather. These rescue calls are difficult and dangerous and can be costly. Continued use of equipment results in wear and tear and the equipment eventually being retired from service or disposed of. County rescue squads will find it necessary to hold more fundraisers and seek funding from their local communities and county government.
Schools
The Ballard County School System could lose over $70,000 from its 2009 allocation of funding with special services being the hardest hit.
The Kentucky Education Department is proposing $46 million in cuts to school districts as part of Gov. Steve Beshear’s request to reduce state agency spending by 12 percent for the coming fiscal year that begins July 1. The proposed education cuts would come from the areas of professional development, textbooks, safe schools and extended school services. Ballard County budgeted amounts and cuts are as follows:
Extended school services
Current allocation $59,727
Projected $24,409
Difference $-35,318
Safe schools
Current allocation $32,409
Projected $20,767
Difference $-11,642
Professional development
Current allocation $28,697
Projected $13,350
Difference $-15,347
Textbooks
Current allocation $45,391
Projected $18,631
Difference $-26,760
Ballard County Superintendent Ed Adami says that the cuts “are not set in stone yet. I want this to be a “wait-and-see” situation, but a cut the size of the proposal would have significant impact on Ballard County students. The governor has requested that all public entities to plan for a 12 percent cut for next year. Through KDE, he’s asked schools to take an additional 7 percent cut in Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding.
SEEK funds are our largest revenue source, making up over half of our $12 million overall budget. Local revenues amount to only 20 percent of our operating funds, with federal funds adding only 7 percent to the total.”
Adami indicated that the cuts have come from the Flexible Focus Funds Money which pays for extended school services, textbooks, teacher training, school safety and early childhood development. They’ve left preschool and early childhood funding alone for the time being.
Ballard County was to receive a little more than $166,000 in the four areas that have been focused on for cuts for next year. With a 47 percent cut in that money, only about $77,00 will be received in most crucial areas.
“Cuts in textbook money come at a time when we’ll be buying new science and math books – two of Kentucky’s weakest subjects, and ones in which we can’t afford to fall farther behind the rest of the world. Even though the math books aren’t set for adoption until next year, this year’s incoming high school freshmen will be required for the first time to take four years of mathematics. Cuts in professional development money make it even harder to train teachers in the latest techniques for differentiating lessons for students, and keep them up on the latest technology. Cuts in extended school services affect our students who need help the most: Those who are at risk of or who already are failing a subject in school.”
Adami says the cuts won’t affect the school resource officer but will have an impact on in-school detention and alternative school facilities. “They’ve told us to plan for the worst-case scenario, but it’s hard to plan for the worst. It makes people anxious about their jobs, about whether their programs will continue, and it affects their ability to do their jobs.”
While voting on the proposed budget cuts has not come about, these issues will be facing the General Assembly in the near future. Concerned citizens are urged to contact their state representative with their thoughts on the proposed budget cuts either by mail or by phone.
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