BOARD OF EDUCATION HEARS DETAILS ON THE FISCAL YEAR 2008 BUDGET
Administration recommends investing in academic initiatives, while right-sizing other areas to balance budget

St. Louis – The St. Louis Board of Education had their first look at a draft $337.6 million budget for fiscal year 2008. While the budget is significantly lower than previous years, including the current $348 million for the current fiscal year, it does provide funding to invest in key academic programs, including:

Expanding the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) college prep program to 18 middle and high schools;

Increasing funding for College Summit so that 1,400 seniors can participate in the results-driven program which is proven to increase college participation;

Purchasing textbooks that are aligned with the curriculum;

Providing literacy coaches at all schools, kindergarten through grade 12;

Expanding alternative education programs, including three new Big Picture schools (www.bigpicture.org) for chronically disruptive students, and an increase in the number of seats available with Alternatives Unlimited, a private contractor that handles students with serious disciplinary issues;

Funding the last year of a teacher pay parity contract to assist with attracting and retraining highly qualified teachers; and,

Renewing an agreement with ACE, a credit retrieval provider that can graduate our students.

The draft budget also accommodates several large expected increases, including an additional $32.5 million in transportation costs, $21.8 million in contracted maintenance, and the first $7 million installment to repay funds previously borrowed from the Desegregation Settlement Fund.

“We face many tough decisions as we head into next fiscal year,” said Superintendent Diana Bourisaw. “This draft budget attempts to realign our resources in a manner that will improve teaching and learning; however, an additional $5.9 million will need to be cut before the budget is approved. Thus far we’ve made many cuts in expenditures in non-critical areas,” she added. For example, the budget includes:

Nearly $25 million in school staffing reductions as a result of declining enrollment and decreased number of schools;

An anticipated $3 million in annual savings as a result of a recently approved Early Severance Plan (ESP) for some employees;

Reducing the number of Assistant Principal positions ($2.28 million);

Administrative staffing reductions;

Savings from facility reconfigurations, including decreased utilities, operations, and other costs; and,

Other administrative reductions, including legal expenses, equipment purchases, professional services, travel, and meeting expenses.

A total of 299 full-time positions will be eliminated in the effort to right-size the district to a projected enrollment of 28,420 students next school year. The significant decline in enrollment is expected to accelerate next year as a result of an increase of charter schools in St. Louis and an increase in the number of students attending county schools through the desegregation program.

“There remain several risk areas that will cause us to reevaluate any approved budget throughout the school year, including the impending unaccreditation of the school district which would allow additional students to transfer to county schools,” said Bourisaw. “There is also the possibility that additional charter schools will be approved, which would further reduce our enrollment,” she added.

The Board of Education will be holding a public hearing on the proposed budget when it is finalized. The hearing date has not yet been set.