Teachers deal with budget cuts

Teachers and administrators in Northwest Georgia said they feel many emotions as a new school year approaches and as they learn more about the impact of state budget cuts on schools.

Many said they are stressed but excited, frustrated but optimistic.

"It takes a lot to knock us down," said Dr. Terry Stevenson, principal of Fairyland Elementary School.

Ridgeland High School family and consumer science teacher Norma Carol Gault, who has been teaching for 27 years, said she understands the budget crisis. She knows cuts will affect everyone when there is a deficit nearing $4 billion.

But she also knows that teaching takes hard work and that education is important to sustain a strong society.

Many teachers put in hours of unpaid overtime, which makes losing three days of pay sting a little more.

"I don't mind (sacrificing some) for the good of the economy," she said. "But then you think, 'Did the state manage the budget like they should have?'"

Mrs. Gault said most teachers don't get into the profession for the money, but being valued is still important.

"As a person who has gone to school and is dedicated to their craft, you sometimes say, 'I wish we were really recognized.'"

In a letter to her staff, Whitfield County Superintendent Katie Brochu made a point to tell them how valued they are.

Last week, Dade, Catoosa, Walker and Whitfield county boards of education adopted revised calendars to accommodate Gov. Sonny Perdue's request that teachers take furlough days.

Whitfield County Schools will only furlough two days, while the other area systems will take three unpaid days.

Dalton City Schools will avoid furloughs, but all employees have taken pay cuts as part of a three-year budget reduction plan, schools spokeswoman Deana Reese said in an e-mail.

The others who take furlough days will miss out on in-service days, which are set aside for training, Mrs. Gault said.

Teachers also will miss out on paid time to prepare classrooms. Ridgeland High School underwent renovations over the summer, and Mrs. Gault said she has many boxes left to unpack.

Rep. Jay Neal, R-LaFayette, who has two daughters working in Walker County schools -- one is a teacher, one is a paraprofessional -- said it is difficult to cut education. But it is also difficult to handle such a large deficit without raising taxes.

"The second-to-last thing you want to do is furlough teachers," he said. "The last thing is to see them losing jobs."

Mrs. Gault said she is thankful for her job and that she's determined to set a good example for the community.

"Teachers have to be people who care," she said. "(The community) needs to see what banding together is all about and that we care about their student."