The Christina School District has a preliminary $231.4 million operating budget in place for the 2008-2009 school year, a 2.5 percent hike over last year.
The Christina Board of Education approved the budget at its Sept. 23 meeting at Bayard Middle School.
State funding is anticipated to increase 4.3 percent overall to $128.99 million this year largely because of contractual obligations with district teachers, Chief Financial Officer Robert Silber said. This is not a cost of living increase, he added. Rather, teachers are given “step increases,” in which their salaries increase with experience and level of education.
“There are no increases provided for the cost of living adjustments or other increases at either the state or local levels,” Silber said.
Despite the overall increase in state funding, the state cut about $1.5 million in extra pay for teachers handling extra responsibilities, professional support for teachers and school discipline, Silber said. The state also cut another $1.5 million in transportation funds because Christina’s neighborhood schools plan helps children avoid long bus rides on I-95, Silber said.
Silber expects a marginal increase in the amount of local funds – less than 1 percent – to $78.95 million that will help cover the local side of movement within the salary schedule.
Federal funds will decrease from $13.9 million last year to $12.97 million this year, according to the preliminary budget.
Christina will probably pay $12.5 million to charter and choice schools, Silber said for district students who enroll in public schools outside Christina.
The district is also continuing to repay more than $12 million loaned to it in 2006 to stay solvent, Silber said. Its repayment this year will balloon to $3 million, twice as much as last year, and will climb to $3.5 million in 2010.
While Christina expects to collect $231.4 million in local, state and federal revenue during the 2009 fiscal year, Silber anticipates the state’s largest school district will have $225.1 million in expenses. That will leave the district with a $6.2 million carryover, which is crucial for a school district because it must meet payroll from July 1 to October 15, when the majority of tax receipts arrive.
“We’ve talked about reserves and adequate funding to carry us forward from one school year to the next,” Silber said. “That’s what we’re looking at here with the $6.2 million. In terms of total reserves, we are significantly under funded. I would love to see a $30 million reserve in the future.”
The board is scheduled to approve a final budget in December, well after September 30 enrollment counts are taken to determine the exact amount of state funding.
