A planned school board budget workshop will likely wait until 2004, when Clarkston school administrators are expected to make recommendations for short- and long-term budget adjustments.
With the anticipation of a sizeable cut in the per-pupil state foundation grant, officials say some reductions may be needed in addition to using fund equity to balance the budget.
‘It’s very difficult, when you’re this far into the fiscal year,? according to Bruce Beamer, executive director of business and financial services, who gave a report at the Monday, Dec. 8 school board meeting. ‘There’s not a whole bunch of things we can do without impacting kids drastically.?
Nonetheless, Beamer said administrators will come to the board in early 2004 with ‘recommendations? for possible budget cuts.
Board Secretary Stephen Hyer, who last month proposed a December budget workshop for board members, later said it makes more sense to have administrators make their recommendations first.
‘They’re going to be very introspective, looking at their own areas,? Hyer said. ‘The board doesn’t manage the budget on a line-by-line basis.?
At the Dec. 8 school board meeting, Beamer repeated his expectation that the district would lose about $1.5 million in state aid if a proposal by Governor Jennifer Granholm becomes reality.
Granholm’s proposal was to cut the per pupil foundation grant by $196 per student.
[State officials last week announced a compromise proposal to reduce that cut to between $90 and $100 per student if a scheduled state income tax cut is delayed six months. Attempts to reach Beamer for reaction to that proposal were unsuccessful.]
‘We’re reviewing some budget cuts for next semester and we’re going to absorb the shortfall with our contingency [fund],? Beamer said. ‘That’s what it’s there for.?
The district is still looking for a rebate of special education funds from Oakland Schools, but that would decrease the projected income reduction to only $1.1 million, Beamer said.
‘We’re trying to evaluate whether this is a shower, a thunderstorm or a tornado,? Beamer said of the long-term budget picture. ‘The only [projection] number we can use is zero. There’s going to be a substantial reduction in something next year.?
Programs, curricula and staff are already in place for the second semester, officials said, and union contracts require advance notice for potential layoffs. Hyer said staffing for fall 2004 must be determined by April. The board could vote to delay or cancel some professional conferences and training seminars in the second semester, but Hyer said the current budget is already tight.
‘There isn’t any waste in the budget,? he said. ‘It isn’t going to be a fun process.?
Officials have made budget adjustments in recent years to build up the district’s fund equity to almost 15 percent. The combination of state budget cuts and lower than expected enrollment growth have combined to make officials glad to have the cushion.
‘We will make some recommendations later this year to save what we can, but the only way we can handle the magnitude of the kind of cuts coming down to us from the state is by looking at the future,? Supervisor Al Roberts said. ‘The fund equity has helped us do that.?