AMERICUS — At a special called meeting Monday, the Sumter County School Board of Education rolled out the tentative general fund budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011. Finance Director for Sumter County Schools Mike Drahush told the Board that the overall budget is a 13.9 percent decrease from the previous year’s budget with a 5 percent drop in local tax revenue and a 17 percent drop in state tax revenue. According to Drahush, the tentative budget contains several  significant cuts in expenditures including the elimination of the S.T.A.R. program, which will result in a savings of $165,000. In addition Drahush said that projected enrollment numbers are down with the schools system expected to lose another 100 students; which will ultimately mean less money from Georgia.

Drahush told the Board on Monday that furlough days will now be referred to has “calendar adjustment days.” The change comes about based on legal council from the School System’s attorneys. With the change in name the system will not be legally bound to contribute to state retirement funds on the designated calendar adjustment days. The savings, based on 10 calendar adjustment days for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, will add up to $160,000 per calendar adjustment day and $1.6 million for the year. Drahush said that the change will have an overall negligible effect on teacher retirement system (TRS) benefits.

The tentative budget calls for 10 calendar adjustment days, but Drahush pointed out that the Board has the ultimate decision on how many days will be designated. He said that the finance committee ran figures on six and ten day scenarios, but said that the impact of a six calendar adjustment days instead of 10 would result in a deficit budget; a $700,000 negative impact.

Assistant Superintendent for Student Performance Bari Geeslin said Monday that a rise in classroom size of two to five students is anticipated and that any resigning teachers might not be replaced, further increasing class size.

“We do not want to raise classroom size to anything over five students,” Geeslin noted.

“We feel it is important,” McMahon said.

The tentative budget of $34,731,881 for 2010-2011 passed by a vote of 6-2 in the called meeting. The Board will act on the budget during the meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. June 30 at the Sumter County School Board offices.