SCHOOL DISTRICT CUTTING $6 MILLION FROM NEW BUDGET

Georgetown County School District officials are continuing to try to find
ways to cut at least $6 million from the proposed 2002-03 budget, but
Superintendent Dr. Chuck Gadsden said there will be no teacher layoffs and
class size will not be increased in those cutbacks.

At a meeting Monday afternoon at Waccamaw High School, Gadsden told the 30
or so employees and members of the public "we don't intend to cut or
eliminate any persons from the district. There are, however, vacant
positions that will remain unfilled, but that will not affect the
student/teacher ratio in the classroom." That's the good news Gadsden had
to share.

The bad news is that several current and proposed programs will likely be
on the chopping block when budget recommendations are presented to the
school board on May 28.

"We have been cut by roughly $2 million from the state, which is one of the
big hits," Gadsden said.

The district is looking at two separate figures during the budget process.
To continue running school with exactly the same programs in place
currently, the 2002-03 budget will be $69 million, compared to this year's
$66.5 million budget.

There is also a $3.7 million strategic planning "wish list" of sorts school
officials would like to see implemented. Gadsden said many of those items
will not be funded.

One that Gadsden said needs to continue is the School Resource Officer
program, which could possibly be eliminated in some schools.

For the past three years, the officers stationed in all middle and high
schools have been funded primarily through a federal grant, which covered
75-percent of the costs. The school district split the remaining 25 percent
evenly with the county for all schools except Georgetown High and Middle
schools and the Georgetown Career Center. The costs for funding those
officers was split with the city of Georgetown.

"When we accepted the grants three years ago, the understanding was when
the grants ran out, the district would do a 50-50 cost split with the city
and the county. We are hoping that will still happen," Gadsden said.

The first meeting between the school district and the county on the matter
is expected to take place this afternoon. Gadsden has already met with city
officials and could not have been pleased with the outcome of that session
because, so far, the city is refusing to offer any additional funding other
than the 12.5 percent it has been paying.

"The school district is very adamant that they want us to cover 50 percent
of the cost," Georgetown City Administrator Boyd Johnson told City Council
in a special meeting last week. "We asked if they could live with us paying
25 percent and they said 'no,' "

City Councilman Brendon Barber, who is also the school district's Safe and
Drug Free Schools director, said there are three options the city can consider.

"We can split it 50-50 with the district, we can absorb 100 percent of the
cost or we can cancel the program," Barber said. City Council will once
again discuss its budget at a meeting on May 30.