Published: May 12, 2009 10:36 am      

BREAKING NEWS: NO TEACHER LAYOFFS FOR SUWANNEE

Last-minute infusion of federal funds saves the day

Eighty teachers will keep their jobs in Suwannee County after the United States Department of Education granted a waiver to allow Florida to receive stimulus dollars for education.

The waiver was announced Monday by Governor Charlie Crist.

Suwannee County schools will receive $1.8 million of the $1.8 billion in federal stimulus funds, according to Superintendent of Schools Jerry Scarborough.

"We won't have to lay off any teachers or other personnel," Scarborough said by phone Tuesday morning. "We're going to be able to balance the budget, it would have been impossible without it."

School board chairman Jerry Taylor called getting stimulus funds a "life saving measure."

"It's one of those things for us that was a lifeline, it's going to allow us to keep jobs, no layoffs" Taylor said. "When you have 86 percent of your budget tied up in salary and benefits, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where the cuts would have started."

Layoffs are not expected and vacancies created by retirements and resignations will be filled for the 2009-10 school term. Scarborough said furloughs and other cuts would have been required without the stimulus dollars.

The state is also eligible for additional federal funds of $891 million in the fall.

Florida lawmakers risked jumping the gun by including stimulus funds in the 2009-10 state budget approved last week.

In order to receive the money, the state had to revert back to 2005-06 spending levels for education.

Florida had been ineligible for stimulus funds due to cuts in education spending in recent years.

Scarborough had warned in recent weeks that failure to get the waiver could mean the loss of up to 80 teaching jobs in the county.

"On behalf of Florida's students, I am deeply grateful to the United States Department of Education for granting Florida the long-awaited waiver for education stimulus dollars," Gov. Crist said in a press release.