Nov 16, 2007 5:33 pm US/Eastern
Budget Crisis Threatens Salem School Jobs
by Eileen Curran
SALEM (WBZ) ―
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Bruce Guy is blamed for a near $2 million deficit that is threatening the jobs of some Salem school employees.
CBS
An unexpected budget crisis could seriously affect the rest of the school year for hundreds of students and their families in Salem.
Salem schools have just realized their budget is $2 million short. As a result, teachers and other school employees have been warned that their jobs could be in jeopardy.
City and school officials blame Bruce Guy. For years he was the city's director of finance and in the last three years he has been working with the school department. Officials say Guy held over bills from fiscal year 2007 and paid for them out of the 2008 budget in a total of $1.8 million.
"That seems to be the bottom figure that we're working with -- the floor, if you will," said Salem School Superintendent William Cameron.
Cameron said he also believes a number of programs have been under funded this year, including the special education programs.
Cameron said during a recent meeting, Guy told him there is a lot of misunderstanding about the deficit.
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said they had no idea of the problem until Guy left when his contract wasn't renewed in September.
"Every report we have received, that the city council has received, indicated that the department was operating in a surplus," Driscoll said.
The city has frozen spending and is desperately looking for ways to cut back.
School officials said while it is possible that teachers could be laid off during the school year, they said that would only happen as a last resort.
Salem school teachers have been working without a contract for more than a year. Cameron said they are working under the former contract and could, if necessary, institute layoffs during the school year.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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