After extended budget discussion on June 7 and in several, other, previous meetings, the Princeton School Board, with Deb Ulm and Eric Minks absent, passed the budget that will run the district for the 2016-2017 school year including a “worst-case” shortfall of about $3.19 million that will be reduced via usage of the district savings account – its fund balance – and several cost-saving measures.
Business Services Director Michelle Czech said the district’s fund balance is healthy and strong at about $14 million. The district also has a $3 million building fund it has been saving since Princeton began talking about new-school construction long ago, and it will spend some of that money on various building needs.
The total, estimated amount needed for school expenditures next year is $44.16 million. Increased expenses include operating capital, staff development, transportation, building improvement, program initiatives, food service, community education, debt service, utilities and custodial care. With a new school and new ballfields, Princeton’s building space increases from 540,000 square feet to 618,000 square feet next year; and, its school-grounds acreage will increase from 37 acres to 57.
School board members and administrators had discussed at previous meetings the unassigned fund, which Czech said is the one that operates the district and accounts for about $1.1 million of the total shortfall. She and Princeton Schools Superintendent Julia Espe had explained previously some of the measures that will help reduce the unassigned-fund deficit:
•Realize better enrollment numbers in October than the current, projected, decrease of 50 students districtwide; Princeton receives about $6,500 per student
•Share a paraprofessional between the two elementary schools
•Offer a one-time, early-retirement incentive
•Reduce a few part-time positions
•Decrease printed materials used for teaching and learning
•Charge outside the unassigned fund for the labor of one of two, annual, districtwide training days
•Analyze open positions before automatically filling them.
A budget-explanation document included a breakdown of proposed reductions and additions. It included recommendations for adjustments to high-school teaching staff:
Reductions
•1.0 in business
•.42 in English
•.33 in physical education
•.58 in science
•.16 education in world language
•1.25 in the PASS program
•1.0 in media paraprofessional
•1.5 in special-education paraprofessional
•District-wide curriculum materials
Additions
•1.0 math
•.83 social studies
•.25 for physical education
•1.0 speech language pathologist
•.75 for gifted and talented
•1.0 custodian
•.29 delivery and grounds.
Advocates of the Princeton Alternative Secondary School (PASS) had attended the June 7 meeting to testify about the effectiveness of the program and to ask the board not to cut the 1.25 teachers.
Board Member Chuck Nagle made motions before the vote on the budget at the June 21 meeting to not cut the 1.25 PASS teacher plus add another 1.25 teachers to the program. His motion also included a stipulation about returning graduation rates to what they were in 2012, about one percent higher than now according the Nagle. His motion died due to lack of a second.
Nagle then made another motion to leave the PASS program as is, but that motion also died due to lack of a second. The School Board then passed the budget with all members present voting yes except for Nagle, who said he votes no unless the budget is balanced.
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School board approves 2016-2017 budget
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