COMMUNITY
FINANCE
Two advocacy groups for disabled people are meeting with legislators in an effort to get MARTA to change some aspects of its paratransit service. 5
Georgia Power cut the ribbon Wednesday on its new South DeKalb office, in a former Wachovia Bank building on Flat Shoals Parkway. 6
Service changes sought
Copyright © 2010 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
New power structure
January 16, 2010
Volume 15, Number 37
www.crossroadsnews.com
Groups to help Haiti Crowded field for 4th District seat In the wake of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday, CrossRoadsNews has joined with a number of metro Atlanta community newspapers to collect donations for the non-profit CARE. The 7.0 magnitude quake, destroyed Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital city. The improverished CaribPlease see HAITI, page 3
By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
It’s now official. Congressman Hank Johnson is seeking re-election to his seat and Vernon Jones and Connie Stokes will be among the Democrats seeking to unseat him. Johnson said Thursday that he will announce his plans for a third term at 11 a.m. on Jan. 16 at his Lithonia campaign office on the second floor of the Burroughs Building, 6440 Old Hillandale Drive.
Hank Johnson
Liz Carter
Vernon Jones
Connie Stokes
Johnson, who was elected to term. After dramatic weight loss last Congress in 2006, made district history in 2008 when he was returned unopposed for a second Please see CONGRESS, page 3
School system facing tough choices to balance budget By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
More tough days are ahead for the DeKalb School System, and Superintendent Crawford Lewis says everything but layoffs is on the table. The district is facing deficits of $55 million to $60 million for the fiscal year that starts in July, and Lewis says its 2011 budget will have to be trimmed accordingly. With these latest cuts, the system will have chopped $135.3 million from its general operating budget in the past three years. The proposed 2011 general operating budget, which will be beCrawford Lewis tween $791.1 million and $796.1 million, will be down from the current budget of $851.1 million. Across the state and the country, school systems are grappling with deficits brought on by the economic recession. “What makes us different is that we have not sent teachers home,” Lewis said. By law, the DeKalb School Board must approve a balanced budget by its May 10 meeting. Property tax for the school system accounts for up to 67 percent of a DeKalb homeowner’s tax bill. While the school board has not increased the millage rate for its portion of the tax bill in seven years, Lewis said he does not know how much longer it will be able to do that. “Only the economy will dictate that to us, but at the same time we are making do with the existing dollars that we have,” he said. Lewis will unveil his budget recommendations to the school board at its Jan. 20 work session. At a Jan. 8 media briefing about the impending belt tightening, Lewis said the district’s organizational structure will be significantly affected. The school district employs 14,000 fulltime and 2,000 part-time employees, with about 1,300 employees in its central office, which is often called top-heavy by critics. Lewis said his proposals will include a “significant reduction” in central office staff and cuts in programs and services. He was mum on the program and service cuts.
Teachers and other DeKalb School System employees picketed the district’s central office on Tuesday to protest the superintendent’s new pay raise when employees facing more cuts.
The shrinking DeKalb School System general operating budget 2011 budget [proposed] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $791.1 million to $796.1 million 2010 budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $851.1 million 2009 budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $894.1 million 2008 budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $863 million 2007 budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $820.1 million
With his seven-member leadership team looking on, he discussed how the central office cuts will pan out. Lewis said they will hire fewer new people from outside the district, cut staff through attrition, and dispatch central office staff with teaching certifications into the classroom. “There is no way to sugarcoat this,” he said. “We are taking the position to keep income coming to everybody’s home. If you move from one job to one that pays less, you are going to take a reduction in pay.” Dr. Jamie Wilson Jr., the district’s chief human resources officer, said that last year they hired 375 teachers but will reduce the new hires from outside the district this year. “A number of our employees fortunately have a number of certifications,” he said. “As teaching vacancies come up,
the tax digest caused by mounting foreclosures and the state Legislature’s freezing of property tax assessments, and declining state funding. Together, those reductions make for a challenging budget year. “Obviously when you are not getting the dollars in, there are no new monies so you have to make the best of the existing dollars that you have,” Lewis said. The cuts will be on top of a 6.1 percent reduction in salaries and benefits and the reduction of 275 teachers last year. Teachers, who are already up in arms about the loss of their step and cost-ofliving increases, are angry that the school board has increased Lewis’ compensation package when they are facing more cuts. The last time teachers got both a costof-living and a step increase was in 2007. In 2008, they received a 2.5 percent costof-living increase and no step increase, and in 2009 they got no increases. On Monday, about 250 teachers and their professional group, the Organization of DeKalb Educators, protested the school boards approval of $15,000 increase for Lewis. They picketed the board’s work session and marched along North Decatur
we will look at their certifications and offer them the opportunity to go into those classrooms.” Wilson said the number of employees who will be impacted will be available at the Jan. 20 meeting. Lewis said the only protected groups – whose salaries and benefits won’t be impacted – will the district’s lowest-paid employees – bus drivers, custodians and food service workers. The school system’s announcements come on the heels of DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis’ Dec. 15 announcement that the county government is facing a $50 million deficit. Ellis has proposed eliminating 760 positions and increasing the millage rate for the county’s portion of the tax bill. Like county government, the school system gets the bulk of its funding from property taxes. This year, it too is facing reductions in Please see BUDGET, page 3