JONESVILLE, Va. — A poster hanging in the back of the Lee Co. School Board meeting room Tuesday summed up many of the complaints heard before the Lee County Board of Education that night: “Cut the frills: Trips, Blackberries®, travel.” With looming budget cuts on the horizon and anticipation that actual teachers’ jobs could be cut, nearly 150 concerned teachers, principals, workers, and citizens of Lee County packed into the Board’s regular meeting room for a public hearing on the 2009 budget held right before the regular monthly meeting.

We have no idea what kind of money we’re looking at it. We would be ignorant to get rid of our foot soldiers, our warriors, our front-line people — and I’m talking about our teachers,” said Board Chairman Ty Harber. He reassured the audience of teachers, who received memos from Harber warning of job or pay cuts, that he and the Board members would do everything they could to avoid cutting teachers jobs or pay.

But everyone wasn’t as optimistic.

“’Now is the winter of our discontent,’” began the president of the Lee Co. Education Association, Debbie Jessee, quoting the infamous words of William Shakespeare before laying out a specific plan to curb the budget cuts for the teachers she represents. “Employees realize that cuts will have to be made,” Jessee continued. “However, there are concerns that employees will face multiple cuts that will have severe affect on their salary... Anxiety is mounting. Frustration is nearing the breaking point due to the inequalities in the system. Morale is shrinking. Some are afraid to speak up or even be present at the school board meeting because of vindictiveness.”

Jessee and the LCEA presented a plan to the Board that recommended, among many other things, taking the following action: Consolidating staff; cutting the excessive number of high paid directors; cutting the two meals prepared at the Central Office every day; eliminating cell-phones and Blackberries® for officials; and instituting a county-wide hiring freeze.

A local attorney and mother of children who have graduated in the school system, Melanie Callahan, addressed the Board with four points that stood out to her when analyzing the 08-09 budget. “The first thing I noticed is that there is a line that says ‘other administrative salaries.’ It’s not specific. It’s not teacher salaries. It’s not teacher intended salaries. It’s just ‘other administrative salaries’... [For next year] they have it proposed for an $153,000 increase.”

Callahan pointed out another item labeled “salary supplements” that required an additional $270,000 for next year.

“What is a salary supplement?” Callahan asked the Board. She also pointed out that the telecommunications budget in 2004-05 was $200,000; the proposal for this coming year was $400,000 — an increase of $100,000 from last year’s budget. And finally, Callahan said there was a $331,000 increase from last year.

“I know it’s going to be a tough year,” said Callahan, “but on behalf of all the citizens, parents, and concerned community people, we ask that you look at every byline, analyze and question everything.”

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.