WILLIAMS INTRODUCES BUDGET AIMED AT REDUCING DEFICIT

St. Louis – Dr. Creg Williams, superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, introduced his revised budget for Fiscal Year 2007 to the Board of Education during a special board meeting held last evening. The highlight of the $382 million operating budget is that it not only cuts expenditures, it will generate a $3.4 million surplus in revenue that can be used to reduce the overall deficit faced by the district.

After the previous budget was introduced, school officials learned the district will be receiving $1.6 million in state special education funds. Revenue will also be increased through the sale of three vacant school properties that have been on the market.

The proposal, which keeps teacher and principal salary increases intact, reduces expenditures mostly in administrative costs, including:

• Reductions in force, mostly through attrition within administration, thereby reducing the budget by $2.3 million dollars.
• A corresponding decrease in employee benefits of nearly $400,000, employee insurance reduction of $85,000, Social Security reduction of $261,000, and other smaller reductions in benefits.

Other significant reductions include:

• A $500,000 reduction in extra service payments;
• A $500,000 reduction in next year’s summer school budget;
• A $28,606 reduction in membership and dues;
• A $151,959 reduction in travel and conference expenses;
• A $125,954 decrease in meeting expenses;
• A $95,000 decrease in trophies and awards; and,
• An $890,068 decrease in general supplies resulting from a 10% reduction in supplies at each school, and even deeper cuts in supplies from the central office.