Wayne County Public Schools tightens its belt as the district attempts to overcome its nearly $5 million fund balance deficit.

At this week’s Board of Education meeting, WCPS Interim Superintendent Dr. James Merrill and School Operations Specialist, LLC President Aaron Beaulieu presented the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget.

Merrill says some of the initial cuts made in July proved to be insufficient, including the effort to save some funds by capturing vacancies.

Merrill says the district still has a long way to go, so he’ll be non-renewing beginning teachers (BT1 and BT2) at the end of the school year.

There will be the possibility of rehiring those teachers selectively depending how other vacancies go.

Dr. Merrill says there’s more work to be done, especially as the district builds next year’s budget.

He says he is not intending to reduce supplements at any positions.

Beaulieu noted there are still many uncertainties for the district’s revenues, including a lack of a federal budget.

Following the presentation, the Wayne County Board of Ed unanimously approved the new $187 million financial plan.

You can view WCPS’s 2020-2021 FY Budget here.