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By Dianne Weaver
The annual reduction in force (RIF) will be soon be on a Calhoun Board of Education agenda, according to Superintendent Ron Blankenship.
"The good news this year, it is not as bad as it usually is," said Blankenship, saying that one professional person and one service person could be reduced. He said because of retirements, even those positions might not be eliminated.
"It is always a difficult thing, and in previous years it has been devastating on the system," Blankenship said.
County school enrollment has dropped 342 pupils since the new $16 million Calhoun-Middle High School opened in 1998-1999. Enrollment has dropped 555 students since school year 1984-85.
"Keeping teachers, programs and services alive has been a hard job," said Blankenship.
Positions are based on actual school enrollment, taken in October of every year. Last October the county lost 29 students from the previous year, now standing at 1,187 students.
Blankenship said about 17 counties lost enrollment last year, but at least seven counties had their enrollment drop under 1,400.
"The small rural counties with little resources are really hurting, often having to cut staff or programs below mandated levels," he said.
Blankenship, representing school superintendents in the state, is helping to introduce a bill in the legislature that would not only guarantee counties that have increased enrollments be fully funded, but rural counties with small enrollments would get a special supplement to maintain basic services.
Calhoun, with six others counties would be eligible for the special supplement.
Blankenship has been working on changing the funding formula for several years, trying to get relief for small rural communities.
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