Birmingham Board of Education Park Place 150427

The Birmingham Board of Education's administrative offices at Park Place near Linn Park on April 27, 2015. (Madison Underwood/al.com)

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The City of Birmingham's proposed budget and financial policies could have significant effects on the Birmingham Board of Education budget, and on the extracurricular programs the school district offers to its students and the community.

The lack of funding for community schools in the mayor's proposed budget for the City of Birmingham means after school programs at Birmingham City Schools will be eliminated along with the district's Community Education department, according to a coordinator that department.

According to the city, some of the functions of he community education program will be incorporated into the implementation of the My Brother's Keeper initiative.

The school district's already-tight budget will take another hit due to a new Birmingham city policy - the refusal to waive costs for security at Birmingham middle and high school football games. That means a half-million dollar cost will be shifted from the city's budget to the board of education.

According to one board member, the school district just doesn't have the money to cover the extra costs.

Security costs

Birmingham Board of Education member Sandra Brown told AL.com Thursday that generally 15 to 20 officers are required to provide security at Birmingham high school football games.

"Anyone who lives in Birmingham knows that we need the security, and the board cannot afford to pay for security at these games," Brown said.

A letter from Mayor William Bell to interim Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Spencer Horn earlier this month laid out the reasons why the city would no longer be waiving the costs of providing police for football game security.

"Our decision was based on two factors:

1) We can no longer afford this cost; and

2) Football games generate revenue

"We will, continue at this time, to waive other requests from the B.O.E. Please understand the City's position and we look forward to our continued partnership," the letter states.

According to Sandra Brown, those added costs are too much for the district to take on. "The school system doesn't have the money to pay $500,000 for security," Brown said. "We don't have that kind of money."

While football might generate some revenue, that money goes back into the school, Brown said "The money that is taken up at the gate, that money goes back to that particular school" to pay for people working the gate and the athletics programs themselves, she told AL.com.

Funding for after school programs

Gail Smith, a coordinator in the Birmingham City Schools' Community Education department, learned Tuesday from Interim Superintendent Spencer Horn that her department would be eliminated before the next school year.

"The Community Education Department did not receive funding from the city, which they have typically, over the last several years, they have provided funding to provide community education salaries for coordinators and secretaries," Smith said.

In a letter to be sent home to parents Friday, Horn acknowledged the department's before-and-after-school care programs would be cut:

"Unfortunately, due to decreased funding and a growing demand to concentrate financial resources to the classroom, Birmingham City Schools will no longer be able to offer this program as a direct service," Horn wrote. "We will, however, remain committed to working with community partners and other groups and organizations to identify viable alternatives that will meet the needs of students and families alike."



"We will continue to update you through this process, and will remain engaged with you on an ongoing basis to provide information as it becomes available."

The city's 2014 budget allocated $1.894 million for Birmingham City Schools, including $655,000 earmarked for community schools. In the next budget, the total funding for Birmingham City Schools was dropped to $1.2 million - a more than $600,000 drop - though none of the money was earmarked for specific programs.

The City later agreed to add back in a half-year's funding for community schools.

In the letter from the Mayor's office, the city states that it told former Superintendent Craig Witherspoon "that the City would participate in the funding of the Community Schools program for on-half [sic] (1/2) of the school year and that the City would be heading in a new direction." The letter included a check from the City for $248,210.

Witherspoon resigned Dec. 31, 2014.

The BOE absorbed the cost of community schools for the rest of the year, Brown said.

The Mayor's 2016 proposed city budget calls for $1.2 million in funding allocated to the BOE, leaving no extra room for community schools.

City of Birmingham Director of Communications April Odom noted that the $1.2 million in funds were unearmarked and could be used at the district's discretion.

A statement Thursday evening from the Mayor's office said that there is no programmatic or financial accountability in the current program. "We will replace the community school concept with a more comprehensive program under the My Brother's Keeper initiative incorporating the resources and expertise of all of the partners involved," the statement read

According to Odom, there are state funds available for community schools under the state community school act. Past superintendents chose not to apply because city funds were available, Odom said.

According to Brown, the cut in funding means "we are going to end up discontinuing the community schools because there is no funding there now."

Community education

Birmingham's community schools program has been around for about 40 years, Smith told AL.com. Community education programs are meant to provide services to the community while making use of school facilities when they wouldn't otherwise be in use.

The program's coordinators work to provide after-school care (and before-school care at some locations), enrichment, and education for students. Participants get a snack - dinner in some locations - along with extracurricular enrichment and activities. Part-time staff - often teachers - provide supervision for the programs. Parents pay a nominal fee, Smith said.

"We work with teachers, we work with principals, we work hand-in-hand to be a partner during the school day," Coordinator Smith said. "If you look around the state at the really strong school systems, they have a strong community education department."

"Parents rely on these services," Smith said. "We've been told that all of our after school programs and everything will go away. "

According to former BOE member Virginia Volker, community education programs are also intended to bring community members into the schools, which engages their interest in the health of the local school system. The programs provide the school as a place for neighborhood meetings, for adult education classes, exercise classes, theatre groups, and other activities.

"We see it as a really unique value to our community," Volker said.

The city's funds cover the salaries for the program coordinators and secretaries, but rest of the community education program is self-sufficient, Volker said. Participants in the programs pay minor fees to cover the cost of instructors, supplies, and other costs such as custodial services.

Without the after-school programs, private child-care providers would need to step in. Those programs could cost more and be a burden to families, Volker said.

According to Brown, the program is also useful in that it keeps students off the street.

"We have so many young people, when school is out, they're out in the street," Brown said. "At least, when they can go into the schools, there's still someone there who can help them in more ways than one."

Brown said she and the board didn't know what would happen with the programs, saying "There have been conversations, but it's a bit here and a bit there."

But she was distressed with the cuts the school system is absorbing.

"The school system is supposed to be a priority in any city," Brown said. "We're losing on every corner with this."