Representatives from the V.I. Board of Education and public TV station WTJX-TV Channel 12 went before the Senate’s Budget and Appropriations Committee Tuesday to defend budget requests for fiscal year 2011 and discuss the future of their organizations.
Most of the seven-member committee were absent for today’s proceedings, leaving the groups to go before committee head Sen. Carlton “Ital” Dowe and Sen. Terrence “Positive” Nelson.
Education officials, already facing a governor-proposed 8 percent decrease in General Fund appropriations, reported another financial hit in that electrical problems will require $125,000 in supplemental funds as soon as possible. Board Vice Chairman Keith Richards explained that the group’s St. Thomas facility is in need of serious electrical repair. They will have to leave the facility and find a rental space while it is being fixed.
“We are limping along,” said Board Executive Director Carol Henneman. “We are now in dire straights. The reality is that we don’t have any budgeted money for the rental.”
The board’s total recommended budget for next year is $2.9 million. That includes $2.36 million appropriated from the general fund, $573,000 from local funds and $11,801 in federal funds.
Records submitted to the committee showed that over half of the board’s funds go toward what they call “other services and charges,” a classification that includes professional services, transportation, building rental and insurance.
Last year the budget for these expenditures was $525,898, but this year a 28-percent decrease left the group with a $381,016 budget.
The senators and board members also discussed funds requested from the government that go toward scholarships and grants for V.I. students. The board is requesting $847,000 in scholarship grants for next year.
Dowe brought up the Morris De Castro Fund scholarship, saying that there should be a mandate that students who receive the grant must return to the territories to work for a certain amount of time. Richards said that currently no such language exists making that a rule, but lawmakers could change that. He said that funds that go toward the board’s nursing scholarship program do make that mandate. Last year $20,000 was appropriated for the Castro Fund scholarship, but no funds were allotted to date.
Dowe told board officials that it is extremely important that Education receive the necessary funding. “When we have young people who are engaged and trying … we must meet them halfway,” he said. He said that school officials must be mindful of the rapidly growing technical field. “I am going to ask that there must be a set-aside for technical education,” he said. “We must spend like we really mean it.”
Public television station WTJX-TV Channel 12 is facing a recommended budget of $4.45 million, down 7 percent from 2010. Executive Director Osbert Potter said the station is doing well but has an obligation to the community to make sure they have the funds to quickly fix whatever technical problems arise so that they can remain on air.
“I’m not ready to come with excuses to the community,” he said.
For fiscal year 2009, WTJX was appropriated $5.05 million, however expenditures outpaced the budget by roughly $150,000. When asked how the station planned to keep costs down, Potter said simple things like conserving paper use for office work help them save pennies so that they have a rainy-day fund to cover possible shortfalls as occurred in 2009.
Submitted budget information showed that most of the station’s funds go toward personnel services like salaries, overtime and sick pay. Dowe asked Potter if he had any employees who would be planning to retire soon, or if there were any vacancies. Potter said no employees had expressed any desire to retire, although some have been with the station for 30 years. He said he currently had two vacancies – one for a graphic designer and one for an IT person. He said both positions were very necessary and would need to be filled.
Both Dowe and Nelson commended Potter on his efforts to provide plenty of local programming. Nelson said it was important that WTJX be on hand to record and broadcast “highly culturalized” events, such as the recent Emancipation Day events in St. Croix. “The events need to be captured for our records,” he said.
