Gorman: Funding Cuts Could Be 'Catastrophic'

The state has warned school districts to brace for cutbacks of five to 15 percent. CMS Superintendent Gorman says that would represent a loss of $30 to $90 million, in addition to cutbacks in county funding. "$90 million will be catastrophic," Gorman said on WFAE's Charlotte Talks. Gorman says CMS has avoided cuts to elementary and middle school arts programs, but he doesn't think that can continue if the worst scenario becames reality. "We still offer music, we still offer arts classes at all of our elementaries and all of our middle schools. We have bands, choruses," Gorman said. "If we get up to $90 million, I'm afraid that schools are going to look at, in making their master schedule, 'Can I afford to offer the full buffet of arts programs?' North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction has released figures for the number of teaching jobs that districts should expect to lose if budgets are cut be 5 or 10 percent. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, it's roughly 400 to 500 jobs. Union County would lose up to 148; and 105 to 113 classroom positions would be lost in Cabarrus and Gaston counties.