Hart County schools follow teacher furlough legislation

HARTWELL — Hart County School Superintendent David Hicks is keeping a close watch on a proposal by some Georgia lawmakers to require mandatory teacher furloughs as a cost-saving measure.

The idea is the brainchild of State Rep. Ed Lindsey, R-Atlanta, who serves on the House Budget Committee that oversees education.

Lindsey said if teachers give up six planning days during the school year, it would save Georgia about $200 million. He said the money could be sent back to local school districts to help them avoid layoffs.

Lindsey said any mandated furloughs would have to pass the Legislature before they could be implemented.

Hart County schools are already dealing with budget shortfalls, personnel issues, and staff reductions in administration. Hicks said he has been closely following the proposal.

In October, the Hart County Board of Education laid off 12 employees, mainly in administration and maintenance, due to budget shortfalls. Other administrative staff salaries also were cut and raises were eliminated.

Hicks said he’s for anything that would save teacher jobs.

“It would be more appealing to me than to have more teachers lose their jobs,” Hicks said. “We don’t want anyone to take pay cuts, and teachers certainly deserve more than what they’re getting. So, if that was to save jobs, I think it’s something that should be considered in these economic times.”

Even though Hart County schools will be receiving monies this year from the Homeowners Tax Relief Reimbursement Grant, the school system, according to Hicks, will likely not get that money next year because of a new law that ties the reimbursement to the economy. Additionally, Hart expects more budget cuts next year of more than $500,000 due to cuts in state education funding.

In January, Hart County held a job fair to create a waiting list of new teachers to replace any who resign or retire, but there are no plans right now for new hires for the 2009-2010 school year.