The Tyrrell County School System has been dealing with a tough budget situation for many years.

A group of local and state officials met on April 29 to discuss funding issues in the county school system.

Then the group reviewed how to restore funding for various cuts the county school system was facing.

The art program at Tyrrell Elementary School has been affected by budget cuts.

Dr. Michael Dunsmore, Superintendent at the Tyrrell County School, discussed the current status of art program at the Tyrrell Elementary School on June 13.

Dunsmore also discussed recent developments following the April 29 discussion where Representatives Paul Tine and Bob Steinburg attended to offer their support and input.

As of the April 29 meeting, Tyrrell was projected to have a 20 percent cut in its Small County allotment. This would change the allotment to 1,359,781 from 1,699,726, which is a $339,945 cut.

“Basically what we are faced with is our teacher allotments are based on the number of students we have.  So each year we get a planning allotment of what those numbers will be based on. Two years ago we were at 579 students.  Last year it was 561. As of Monday of this week we were at 534 students,” said Dunsmore.

Dunsmore said that he and other school officials are hopeful that enrollment numbers will increase as kindergarteners come to school for the first time.

He commented on the various laws guiding Tyrrell County in regards to staffing.

“State law says that if we are having a reduction in force. There are two things we have to look at. First we have to inform people by the 15th of May.  That is state law, but it is also common courtesy because it gives them an opportunity to look for another job,” said Dunsmore.

Staffing issues have come up before.

“Basically what we do every year at about that time we reaffirm our reduction in force policies. What we do is notify people that would potentially be riffed. That is not saying we are riffing or doing away with the art program,” said Dunsmore.

Dunsmore discussed the changes in the art program since he began his position as Superintendent.
“When I came here there was no art teacher in the elementary school. We put the art program in there. I am one hundred percent behind the arts. I want to keep the arts. But we are also at a point with our numbers and our budget.  But if we keep decreasing, we are also have to prioritize our classes and direct instruction to the children. “When I came here, we had one teacher for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Then we added Mr. Miller the other teacher.  So that is kind of where we are at,” said Dunsmore.

Dunsmore discussed how state law guides hiring decisions.

“The way the funding formula works is that the twentieth day of the first year is what our funding will be based on. So whatever our enrollment is that twentieth day, that is what the state funds us on.  So when we do our planning going into next year, we have to have a pretty good idea of where our numbers are going to be at that twentieth day,” said Dunsmore.

Dunsmore said that last school year presented a difficult situation.

“We were down eighteen students. We had one teacher who has left, an elementary teacher who left and took a new job. We just did not replace her position. But because our numbers were so slow, we wound up laying off somebody after the start of school year. I do not want to do that if at all possible,” said Dunsmore.

Tyrrell County Schools might retain its previous Small Schools Allotment.

“We are waiting to see what the General Assembly budget is going to be. Where we are at with the different supplemental funds is that that is looking really good. That we are going to retrain so that we are not going to lose it,” said Dunsmore.

Dunsmore noted that funding issues are complicated.

“We have to be mindful that we are providing the essential things we need for our students. I am not saying we are going to do without an art program. We just might have to get creative with how we approach this. We have had conversations with Pocosin Arts about teaming with them to do some things,” said Dunsmore.

Dunsmore addressed other concerns that parents had expressed about possible decisions the Tyrrell School Board might be making.

“There has been a misconception out there that we are replacing that with a Technology Facilitator.  We have a One to One laptop grant instituted at the High School. Ms. Manning rolled that out this year. Part of that Golden Leaf Grant, when you get the One to One laptops, is they require a technology facilitator. We are the first system in the State of North Carolina that they gave that grant without that specific position which we would have to pay for. One of the things I am mindful of is that I am not sure they will continue to fund us without that position. Basically what I said is that we are in the situation here where we are laying off an art teacher, but it is not that I have the intent to bring in a computer teacher. We do not need that. My classroom teachers can teach computers. That is something with the grant.  We have to change the way we are teaching. Part of that is to bring the laptop initiative into the elementary school. I am confident our teachers can instruct in that area. My goal is not to do away with the art program to hire another teacher, because if I don’t have the money to pay an art teacher, I certainly do not have it to pay a technology facilitator.  That is our problem with Golden Leaf and why we fought so hard at the high school to get that. We could not afford the position. They worked with us. I hope that they will continue to work with us.

We have three kindergarten teachers, three first grade, three second grade, three third grade, we only have two fourth, and we only have two fifth grade. I do not want to get into the position where we are increasing class size in the third, second and first grade and doing away with those teachers.

In the elementary school, every class rotates through art. One of our challenges is that we need the art class in the schedule for the other teachers. That is a time for them to collaborate and plan and do other things.  It does not just affect art. It affects everything. If we lost that teaching position we are going to have to figure out a way to fill that time and get the children exposed to the arts and the music. I also do not want to come in September whenever our first twenty days is and have our allotment based on a certain number and then have to lay someone off  when their chances of getting another job are virtually impossible,” said Dunsmore

Jason Miller was the art teacher at the Tyrrell Elementary School for the 2013-14 School Year.

Miller had been teaching for two years and this next fall would have been the start of his third year teaching.

“Due to the budget my position and the art program at Tyrrell Elementary have both been dropped.  I have been very blessed and grateful by the support I have received by both my fellow staff members and the community at large. Shortly after getting the news I was losing my job, my car broke down and the teachers and community took up a donation for me. I found out about it only just before I was presented the money. I can’t express the appreciation and gratitude I feel for the outpouring of support during this time.

 My mentor and the art teacher at the high school here in Tyrrell county Ms Jeanne LaPlante has also been so helpful and supportive as well and I wouldn’t have been able to get through all this without her, and the help of my fellow teachers.

 

    What truly saddens me though is that the students here at Tyrrell Elementary won’t have any artistic outlet anymore. They already don’t have music and before I started teaching here they hadn’t had art in over seven years so they were so hungry for artistic expression and were always so eager to learn. Having art for just two years is just not enough time to truly get an art program running from scratch. I would have loved the opportunity and time to have really gotten the art program rolling. I feel really bad for the students.
Also I feel very disappointed in our state in it’s lack of funding. I will remember this, as I hope everyone does in the next election. My heart breaks for the students of Tyrrell Elementary School. If funding was to be restored I would gladly come back and serve this community,” said Miller

Christ Maready attended the June Meeting of the Tyrrell County Board of Education as a concerned parent.

She expressed her concern regarding the cutting of the art program.

“A group of Tyrrell County parents, grandparents and citizens attended the Board of Educations “open forum” meeting on Monday June 2 to see if the rumors circulating were indeed true. The Board Education had said they may or may not be able to bring the position back the next school year due to cut backs in funding. The current T.E.S. Art teacher has already been given his RIFF papers, as a “kindness” by the board so that he may look for other employment. Our kids are devastated! There have been many tears shed upon hearing the news. Not only have they lost their music program in the last two years, but now art. It is my opinion, along with a group of other parents and grandparent, that our children need an outlet. We would like to see well-rounded, creative, culturally diverse children promoted from our county’s single elementary school. We are already dealing with a generation of children who stare at computer , gaming and T.V. screens a majority of the time. These children are having an increasingly difficult time being able to have anything but “cyber” relationships. They need tactile things to stimulate their growing minds. was not only concerned but outraged to hear that a position that was only added back to T.E.S. a mere 2 years ago is already being Riffed. Art gives children a way to express themselves and de-stress after hours of sitting in a classroom and being drilled with a Common Core education. Children should be nurtured and given the chance to learn about history, color, form and self expression through the arts. Please don’t let it be taken away from them. There is more to life and a good education than computer technology and Common Core,” said Maready.