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2014-15 PRELIMINARY BUDGET

2014-15 PRELIMINARY BUDGET. MARCH 25, 2014. Where Do We Stand?. TOTAL LOCAL BUDGET REQUESTS AFTER INITIAL REVIEW PROCESS (Includes Local Current Expense Fund, Capital Outlay Fund, and Special Revenue Fund) $124,530,375. Where Do We Stand?.

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2014-15 PRELIMINARY BUDGET

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  1. 2014-15 PRELIMINARY BUDGET MARCH 25, 2014

  2. Where Do We Stand? • TOTAL LOCAL BUDGET REQUESTS AFTER INITIAL REVIEW PROCESS (Includes Local Current Expense Fund, Capital Outlay Fund, and Special Revenue Fund) $124,530,375

  3. Where Do We Stand? • TOTAL REVENUE SOURCES AVAILABLE OTHER THAN THE COUNTY APPROPRIATION $8,215,345

  4. Where Do We Stand? • PRELIMINARY NEED FOR COUNTY APPROPRIATION FUNDING $116,315,030

  5. Where Do We Stand? • PRELIMINARY COUNTY APPROPRIATION NEEDED FOR 2014-15 $116,315,030 • CURRENT YEAR COUNTY APPROPRIATION $112,722,753 • POTENTIAL INCREASE NEEDED $3,592,277 3.19%

  6. Preliminary Funding Info • First correspondence from the County indicated a potential REDUCTION in funding of $2.6 million • Part of the reduction is the “hold-harmless” amount added to the formula for 2013-14 • Part of the reduction is a preliminary assessment that County sales tax revenues are declining • We are awaiting “better” information

  7. Budget Highlights • Request includes funds to match a potential 3% across-the-board pay increase for local-paid base salaries and for all local supplements $1,645,900 • Request includes an already-adopted increase in health insurance costs $123,000

  8. Budget Highlights • We are losing the ability to transfer 400 CTE months of employment for other state needs for 2014-15 and are scheduled to lose the ability to transfer another 400 months the following year. This ability “saved” us $520,000 this year. • These last two slides account for 64% of the needed county funding increase

  9. Budget Highlights • The Board originally budgeted $4.1 million of fund balance for 2013-14, primarily to make up for state teacher assistant funding losses • Current estimates are that we will need to use $2.7 million of local fund balance • That will leave us with local fund balance= $12,750,000

  10. Budget Highlights • We are proposing to eliminate 95-100 Teacher Assistant/Primary Reading Teacher positions due to the expected permanent loss of $4.5 million of state funding • That leaves our formula at: • One for each K-1 classroom • One for every two 2nd grade classrooms

  11. Budget Highlights • The teacher assistant position loss would have been higher had the Board not already reduced their work days to 208 and were we not using almost 30% of these positions as half-time primary reading teachers (a half-time teacher costs approximately $7,000 less than a full-time assistant)

  12. Budget Highlights • Due to turnover since last year, almost half of the positions proposed to be lost are filled with people already aware that they likely will not be employed next year. • Primary reading teachers are year-to-year employees by the nature of their half-time roles (many are “double-dipping” retirees) • There could be other opportunities available for some who lose their TA jobs

  13. Budget Highlights • A few new positions are proposed: • Two classified data manager positions • Media coordinator position at Kennedy • Assistant principal position at Atkins • One day per week of AIG teaching support for 11 elementary schools • Intern position in Research/Evaluation • 2 facility management positions, expected to pay for themselves rather quickly

  14. Budget Highlights • Other initiatives: • Postpone 3rd grade “Imagine It” and use $200,000 toward K-3 reading materials • Centrally fund activity bus repairs so that school allotments can be focused on meeting the needs of students ($75,000) • Pay IB membership/exam fees ($78,300) • New standards-based resources ($92,000)

  15. Budget Highlights • “Required” Increases • Utilities ($330,000*) • Workers’ Compensation and Dental claims experience ($153,700) • Payments to Charter Schools ($100,000) • SRO contract increases ($35,000) * A large percentage of this increase involves a switch to contracting with the City for solid waste pick-up in the County – initial cost, but saves the replacement of a truck and allows for repurposing the driver

  16. Budget Highlights • Other “no cost” (we hope!) initiatives: • Elementary classified testing/technology facilitators, freeing up curriculum coordinators from testing duties • Elementary specialists to restore five-day specials rotation (currently six-day) • Full-time (from current half-time) study skills positions at Equity+ middle schools

  17. Budget Highlights • Other “no cost” (we hope!) initiatives: • An extra release period for high school athletic directors • “Freeing up” $625,000 per year of federal Title II funds for staff development • A two-week Title 1 summer reading program in July/August (no cost to the local budget) • Refocus Title 1 bonuses into training stipends and pay for additional student remediation

  18. Other Information • Textbook replacements will continue to be delayed due to expected lack of state funding (planning allotment is only $765,000) and due to uncertainty surrounding North Carolina standards • Increased supplies and materials school allotment is proposed from local fund balance to help teachers acquire additional resources

  19. Other Information • The 119-day contract employment of new classified employee hires continues to hold down costs, save management time and effort, and ensure quality hires • We continue to outsource housekeeping services school-by-school as we incur turnover in staffing • ACA is not impacting the budget for 2014-15, but could for 2015-16

  20. Contingencies • The state 2013 Budget Bill proposed to restore $1.3 million in funding for teachers and teacher assistants in 2014-15 • We fear those funds will be “hijacked” for teacher and state employee pay raises • We need to keep the pressure on the General Assembly to provide more textbook funding

  21. Contingencies • Our County Appropriation is still less than it was in 2009-10, and our student population is up by over 2,000 since then • We should suggest that the 2013-14 level of funding become the new base for the operation of the formula (locking in place the “hold-harmless”, since the Commissioners reduced the net property tax rate despite our continuing level of needs and increasing student enrollment)

  22. Contingencies • Even if we continue at a hold-harmless level of County funding, our needs far outpace that funding level • It would be extremely difficult to reduce the budget another $3.6 million on top of eliminating 95-100 teacher assistant positions • The Governor’s teacher pay plan would severely impact our local budget needs

  23. Contingencies • Fund balance is available to pick up some/all of the $3.6 million in needs for at least one year • We can spend that year evaluating long-term budget savings strategies • There is some chance of additional one-time funding opportunities that could reduce some of our current operating budget lines

  24. Summary • $3,592,277 needed increase in County Appropriation • 81% of that increase is due to factors beyond the control of the Board (pay/benefits increases, rate increases by other agencies, charter enrollments) • After five years of constant budget cutting, “low impact” budget cutting strategies are no longer available

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