School Budget

With the school year just barely half over, it may not seem like it is time to begin budgeting for the next year but that time is quickly approaching. The budget for fiscal year 2011 will be the most difficult budget I have developed due to the decreased revenue projections for state funding, reduction of stimulus funds and the decreasing enrollment in our school district. Based on the information we currently have, the District would need to run a $1,005,000 supplemental levy to remain at the status quo.

During the past sixteen years, the District has built one of the highest quality rural districts in Idaho as measured by student performance. We have worked hard to maintain reasonable class size at the elementary level, we have made sure that all of our students have appropriate supplemental education services to eradicate performance deficits, we increased our humanities to provide for a well-rounded education, we have recruited and retained the highest quality teachers and support staff possible, we have challenged our high school students by offering additional math and science, and we have been modifying our school culture and curriculum to better prepare our students for the 21st century. All of this came at a price. Fortunately, the community has continued to support a quality education.

Beginning about four years ago we began to see a decline in student enrollment. Over the years, our enrollment has been lower than it is currently and it has been higher. It is not uncommon to see such fluctuation but it is much more difficult to create a budget during declining enrollment than during growing enrollment. Our enrollment will likely increase in the future but the double whammy of declining enrollment and reduced state funding puts significant pressure on school budgets.

Over fifty percent of the school districts in Idaho run supplemental levies as we do. That tells me that the people of Idaho and our school district want more than the minimal level of education that state support provides. A number of years ago the funding for schools was altered in a one-day special legislative session. The property tax mechanism was removed and replaced with general state funds (income and sales tax). At the time, school districts expressed concern that replacing this stable tax base with general funds could cause problems during an economic downturn. That is exactly what is occurring now with state funding. The only mechanism a public school has to increase revenue is a supplemental levy.

The Board of Trustees has been discussing the FY11 budget, and particularly, the levy, for the past three months. They have directed me to provide ideas to help balance the budget at a supplemental levy amount they believe is fair and reasonable to ask voters to pass. This District, like all school districts, expends 80-85% of their budget on salary and benefits. Reductions in the M&O budget have been made in supplies, equipment, purchased services and staff. Further reductions are anticipated. Where and how deep those cuts are made without substantially impacting student achievement is the difficult work of developing the budget.

Civil public input is vital to the process. Comments to the blog, email and letters to the trustees, and public comments at board meetings are essential for the process to be successful. It is important to know the facts and be careful of rumors. Patrons may contact the administration any time they have a specific question or need for additional information. Your trustees will make the best decision for the students. It is not likely to please everyone, but that is how representative democracy operates.

Please continue to provide your thoughtful input to all proposals.