Cuts Planned for Arlington Schools;Gosling Proposes 4.3% Bigger Budget but $4.3 Million in Trims
Students in Arlington County can expect to use older textbooks and to go on fewer field trips next year, as the county struggles to make up a budget shortfall resulting from reductions in state funding and continued growth in school enrollments.</br></br>School Superintendent Arthur W. Gosling outlined the proposed school budget for the 1991-92 school year at a news conference yesterday. The budget was formally presented to School Board members at last night's board meeting.</br></br>Although next year's proposed budget, at $133.5 million, is larger than the current budget by 4.3 percent, Gosling said that increase will not make up the erosion caused by inflation and cost-of-living adjustments. In all, Gosling said, $4.3 million in programs will have to be trimmed from next year's budget.</br></br>Teacher layoffs will be averted in the coming year, and the elimination of 55 staff positions, mostly by attrition, will result in savings of about $1.3 million, Gosling said. He said that class size in Arlington schools will grow by an average of one student per class.</br></br>Funds for the school capital improvement program, approved by voters in a November bond referendum, will not be affected by the budget cuts, Gosling said.