Local athletes won't be tested for steroids with state money, and several instructional programs will be eliminated as part the Texas Education Agency's plan to cut more than $135 million from its budget.
Gov. Rick Perry mandated each state agency cut its 2010 and 2011 budgets to create a 5 percent reduction in the state's budget. The Texas Education Agency announced its planned cuts in 30 areas on Friday. Pine Tree reported about a $45,000 loss of funds and Longview officials said the district will lose about $350,000.
"We don't know at this point where we're headed," Longview ISD Finance Director Emily Bellamy said. She added the district would probably make up the money with local funds.
The Texas Education Agency is slashing steroid testing in 2011. An intensive summer program is being cut at 20 school districts with about 5,000 students each, beginning teacher induction and mentoring, and an optional extended year program are among the cuts affecting local districts.
Longview's biggest loss is $250,000 for a high school initiative that provided additional training for math teachers, Bellamy said. Longview will also lose about $29,000 the district used to maintain its Playing for Keeps day care for students in the district, Bellamy said.
Pine Tree offers the beginning teacher induction and mentoring to new teachers, Deputy Superintendent K'Dawn O'Rear said. Pine Tree used grant funds from 2007 to 2009 to offer the program at the junior high and high school campuses because the schools had the highest teacher turnover rates in the district. It was expanded to all campuses in 2009-10 with $38,000 from the state, she said.
Longview also offered the beginning teacher induction and mentoring program and received $30,000 in 2009-10, Bellamy said.
Longview and Pine Tree offer the optional extended year program that allows districts to offer extra instructional days for students who are not likely to be promoted to the next grade and seniors who aren't likely to graduate. Pine Tree got $15,000 and Longview got $35,500 in 2009-10.
"The loss of the optional extended year means we will have to locally fund more of our summer school programs or reduce our services slightly," said Nate Carman, Pine Tree assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
Hallsville offers several of the programs being cut, but spokeswoman Carol Greer said they are all locally funded and the cuts will not have any impact on the district.
The state eliminated the steroid testing because "potentially more effective drug use prevention programs are facilitated through alternative programs," according to the agency.
The cut won't have much impact on local schools because it only tested for steroids, said Pat Collins, Longview's director of extracurricular activities.
"If the state wanted to use the money more wisely, they should have been testing for street drugs at different schools," he said. "Steroids are very expensive and a lot of kids can't afford them."
The steroid testing elimination doesn't mean local athletes won't be drug tested, he said. Longview plans to budget money for random drug testing of students involved in athletics and other extracurricular activities, including band and cheerleading, Collins said.