$1 Million cut from schools

The St. Johns County School District is facing a $10 million budget shortage for 2009 and says all district budgets will be reduced by 25 percent and all school budgets by 20 percent, making a $1 million reduction.

The first cuts planned? The School Board announced cuts on hiring and staff, transportation services, travel, energy consumption and textbooks. In addition, they may be able to save money by getting competitive bids on their property insurance, creating a mandatory four-day workweek over the summer, reducing transportation expenses and changing student’s schedules to a more cost efficient time.

Superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner said this is the first time in 37 years that education spending has gone backwards. “It is particularly detrimental to districts such at St. Johns County that are continuing to grow. These cuts will affect the number of staff we can afford and the quality of services we can provide,” Joyner said.

Photo credit: Historic City Media news photographer Kerry McGuire