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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of Bob Swemba
Vol. XXVII No. 21
May 21, 2014
Struggle continues over We salute the 95th school retirement program Powhatan County Fair By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News
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county investigation continues into Powhatan County Public Schools’ controversial Supplemental Retirement Program, and, according to members of the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors, could stretch on through midJune. Supervisors in recent months have expressed growing concern with the administration of the retirement program and its special trust fund from which participants receive benefit payouts. In a written statement released to media Thursday, May 15, District 2 supervisor Jason Moore criticized the school division’s handling of county requests for documents associated with the program, and announced that, due in part to lack of information, supervisors would be unable to take a vote on when and how to end the program at a meeting set for Monday, May 19, which was underway at press time. In his statement, Moore provided a timeline of supervisors’ requests for documents and the ultimate delivery dates of those documents, some of which have been turned over as recently as May 9.
He also pointed out that changes were made to the program with no official vote or discussion by the Board of Supervisors, and questioned why the School Board sought a legal opinion on the participation of former superintendent Margaret Meara in the program. “The failure to release all documents continues despite initial assurances from the School Board chair that all documents had been released, then later assurances that all documents would be released,” Moore wrote. School Board chairman Rick Cole apologized in a May 16 School Board meeting for having publicly stated that all documents had been turned over, saying that based on the information he had at the time, he thought the appropriate documents had been shared. Moore also wrote in his statement supervisors can’t take informed action on the plan without information on changes that have been made to it since it was created in 1996, Internal Revenue Service letters approving changes and school board minutes outlining discussions of those changes. Dr. Eric Jones, superintendent of schools, said Thursday that his staff has handed over documents as they’ve been see STRUGGLE page 4A
PHOTOS BY ANJIE HENLEY
Some of America’s finest – members of the U.S. military – came out for the sights and sounds of the Powhatan County Fair. They are Melvin Bernal E-4, James Robinson E-3, William Weisnicht E-4, Jason Young SSG/ E6, Ricoh Binion E4 and Patrick Lyons E-5.
Young and old alike can find some good times on the midway at a county fair – and the Powhatan County Fair continued with that very invitation over the weekend. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 3
Supervisors approve county spending plan, partial school allotment By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News
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fter months of meetings and deliberations, members of the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors voted at a May 12 meeting to adopt their fiscal year 2015 budget as advertised, with no change in the county’s 90-cent real estate tax rate. However, there was a twist. Citing the Virginia General Assembly’s lack of ability to pass a budget, the supervisors voted to approve their spending plan, but not to dole out all of the funds in it for local schools. The county budget includes $43.65 million for Powhatan County Schools, but supervisors only voted to appropriate $36.212 million. A later vote will be required to deliver the other funds. Generally, in Powhatan County, the Board of Supervisors votes to both approve its spending plan and appropriate the money to fund that plan in one meeting. Some localities vote to appropriate funds in quarterly portions, rath-
er than one lump sum. The supervisors’ May 12 vote appropriated full funding to all other county departments. They said they were concerned that a final state budget with less than the expected $20.9 million in state funding for local schools would leave the county to make up the difference if they appropriated all proposed funds to schools. “If the state comes back with less, we are on the hook,” District 3 supervisor Barry Hodge said. “I think we need to act cautiously.” Jason Moore, who represents District 2, agreed, and pointed out that the partial appropriation would free up the school division to issue teacher contracts with a 2 percent raise for all school personnel. He added that other localities are taking similar actions — Goochland only appropriated local funding, not state, he said, while Chesterfield passed a spending plan but hasn’t yet appropriated funds. In a written statement sent to the
Powhatan County School Board vice chairman James Kunka suggested before a final budget vote that the $650,000 proposed to be spent on 2 percent raises for all personnel might better be spent on adjusting salaries that are behind other divisions. Ultimately, the School Board decided to keep the 2 percent raise in place.
PHOTO BY JODI DEAL
media after the meeting, Moore said he sees the supervisors’ appropriation as extending an “olive branch” to the School Board after months of strained relations between the two elected bodies as debate has raged on over the school division’s controversial Supplemental Retirement Plan. Supervisors agreed in budget delib-
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erations to provide schools with $20.9 million in local funding in Fiscal Year 2015, a $428,135 increase over the current year’s budget. County administrator Pat Weiler’s original budget proposal included a $609,000 increase in school funding.
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Inside
Sports
Index
A6 War Memorial Cultural Arts and Community Center new contract signed.
B1 Nathan Martin returns to the ball diamond after over two years on the sideline.
Calendar Classified Crossword Horoscope Obituaries Opinion TV Listings
A8 B8-9 A9 A9 A8 A8 B6-7