The Emporia school district's budget most likely won't suffer much for the current fiscal year, whether legislators use the governor's recommended cuts or implement their own.
Next year could be manageable, too, based on several estimates provided to the board of education at a budget workshop Wednesday evening in the Mary Herbert Education Center.
Assistant Superintendent of Finance Rob Scheib told the board that a number of variables could play into the budgets, for the 2008-09 fiscal year as well as the 2009-2010 FY coming up on July 1.
Those variables include:
-- State rescissions in school funding for the current year
-- State rescissions in school funding next year
-- Loss of or changes in weightings for categories such as at-risk students, English language learners, disabled students, and other exceptional conditions.
-- Declining student enrollment
-- Changes in the supplemental general fund
Cash reserves, federal funding changes, the 2010 state budget, and changes in the economy also would be factors, Scheib said.
Scheib and Superintendent John Heim stressed that the figures presented Wednesday were only possibilities; until the legislature takes action on this year's needed budget cuts, then works out a trimmer budget for the coming FY, the school district's own budget figures remain a guessing game.
It is something that the local board dealt with as they worked through the current budget, which was complicated by Tyson's elimination of about 1,600 jobs at the Emporia plant.
The savings the board found for that budget period, coupled with special legislation that guaranteed the district 98 percent of its previous budget, kept the district on an even financial keel. In the fall, the district learned that it would receive about $2.4 million more in state aid than had been anticipated earlier. Much of the money came through weighted funds because the district is considered poor, with more than 50 percent of its students receiving free or reduced lunches.
The additional funds enabled the district to increase employee raises from 1.5 percent to 3 percent, using approximately $400,000 of the unexpected state aid and leaving approximately $2 million in extra funds.
Now, some of those monies are expected to be eliminated, and the loss has not yet been determined.
The district currently receives $4,433 from the state in per-pupil aid.
Scheib used the governor's plan for his best-case scenario and the legislature's for the worst-case estimates, which could result in a $1.3 million cut for the district.
"Now hold on; don't anybody panic," Heim said. "We have $2 million we did not plan to spend just sitting there. So this year, we're going to be okay."
The governor's plan recommends reducing the aid by $22 per student, for a total loss of $164,351 to the district for its current budget.
The legislature has discussed reductions ranging from 2 to 5 percent, or $993,557 to $1,658,452, Scheib said.
For FY 2009-10, the governor has recommended cutting another $66 per student, or an estimated $493,054, from state aid. The legislature's plans range again from 2 to 5 percent in reductions, as is under consideration for the current budget year's cuts. Coupled with estimated losses of 100 students, the 2009-10 budget could decrease by a total of $1,591,063 under the governor's plan and $2,570,430 under the worst-case scenario of the legislative plan.
Scheib also said the district likely will lose state money for new facilities weighting. Those additional funds -- $155,155 -- that had been received for the Emporia High School addition will end this year. However, new facilities weighting will begin in FY 2009-10 for the Village School addition, which should bring about $89,989 to the Emporia district, for a difference of $65,166.
Declining enrollment also could affect funds received from the state. School districts are allowed to base their student numbers for state aid in one of three ways: actual audited enrollment figures, three-year average, or the previous year's figure, whichever is larger.
The district also may want to consider increasing its supplemental general fund from 25 percent of the general fund to 27.5 percent. The current local levy for the school district is $3,000,092. Raisig the percentage to 27.5 percent would bump the supplemental general fund on a $30 million budget to $8,250,000.
"The rest of that distance from the $3 million to the $8 million comes from Topeka," Scheib said. "So, if the legislature goes in and says, 'We're going to reduce our supplemental general state aid,' that act alone will pop our mill levy. So, what they are doing, by reducing their pressure, they're increasing our mill levy."
Needed funds, however, may come in an economic stimulus package now under scrutiny by Congress.
"Potentially, we've got some great news there if it passes in Washington, D.C.," Scheib said.
Heim pointed out that Emporia's financial situation is considerably more optimistic than most other districts in Kansas.
"I'm really glad we're in Emporia," he said. "Thee's probably not many districts in the state that are saying, 'Don't panic.' These are really hard times for other districts in the state."
Still, the local board is concerned about the cuts and the unknown and unpredictable student numbers.
Heim expects the district to lose more students at the end of this year due to the Tyson layoffs. The district already is down approximately 80 actual students from the Sept. 20 audit, and that figure may not reflect those students' true value to the district because of added weightings.
On the plus side, Heim said, enrollment at the Learning Center has increased by 60, with many of the workers who lost their jobs cominb to the Learning Center to further their educations.
And, because some large school districts have instituted hiring freezes, the teacher shortage that has pinched the Emporia district in the past, appears to be turning around.
"The teacher shortage is going to change real quickly," Heim said.
He does not expect the Emporia district will fill the 11 certified positions that were eliminated in this year's budget, but more teachers should be available to hire as replacements for those who resign or retire.
The board discussed finding ways for the district to improve efficiencies, particularly in the area of energy savings.
create (anonymous) says...
You need to improve efficiencies in more than just energy. Why did William Allen White Elementary throw away, yes, throw away reams and reams of brand new paper this past summer? Granted, it was over sized, but so what? Cut it to fit. Use it for art projects. GIVE it away. This kind of waste is ridiculous.
January 28, 2009 at 11:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )