with about $25.7 million, the district announced at the Aug. 24
meeting of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
The fund is part of the Obama administration's efforts to protect
teachers' jobs and the money can only be used for compensation and
benefits for school-based staff. Recipients have until September of
2012 to use the money.
The Board of Education will make a final decision on how the money is
allocated. Superintendent Peter C. Gorman recommended to the Board
that most of the money be used in the 2011-2012 budget, rather than
allocated immediately.
"In theory, using the $25.7 million right now would allow us to hire
467 new teachers this year, " Dr. Gorman said. "In practice, it
doesn't really work that way. The state will receive the money from
the federal government at the end of September, and we will receive
our portion sometime after that. By the time we post vacancies,
interview and hire, it will be October at the earliest."
Gorman said that schools would be understandably reluctant to shuffle
students and schedules so far into the school year. He also said that
research at CMS has shown that teachers who begin after the school
year starts come in lagging behind their colleagues, and they stay
behind for several years.
CMS administrators are recommending to the Board that most of the
money be used in 2011-2012 to offset an anticipated funding cliff when
the federal stabilization funds are expected to end.
"It's been tough for us the last two years – but next year will almost
certainly be worse if our estimate of nearly $50 million for the
federal funding cliff turns out to be accurate," Gorman said.
He also recommended that the district use $3.7 million of the $25.7
million this year to divide 75 teacher-level positions among the zone
superintendents. He also recommended using $1.6 million to provide
coverage for teachers on leave or other critical vacancies at the
school level throughout the year. The rest of the money would be used
in the 2011-2012 budget year.
