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Frequently Asked Questions
Breaking Down
The Annual Budget Process
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The annual budget-making process is an important part of supporting students and staff in the classroom, maintaining schools and facilities, providing nutrition services and transportation, and much more. We've developed these pages to inform and include the community as we consider the resources we have available to us and meet the highest priorities for our schools. Please check back often as we will update these pages regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What’s happening with the budget this year?
Our district is experiencing challenging financial constraints. Because our revenues are not keeping pace with costs of operating the school system, there will be budget reductions in the coming year throughout the organization. The school district must both balance the budget and continue to meet student needs. The reductions will impact all 欧美巨乳色情片 communities in some way. That said, the student experience has been prioritized in budgeting and will not change significantly.
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This website breaks down the annual budget process
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(video)
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(video)
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Why are there budget cuts?
Revenues are not keeping pace with costs of operating the school system. Costs of goods, services, and labor have grown in recent years; inflation has increased 18% since 2020. During this time, the school district’s ongoing revenue sources have not grown a corresponding amount. One-time pandemic revenue from the federal government has supported our school district in responding to the pandemic. The district invested pandemic aid in learning recovery, building improvements, and key strategic initiatives aimed at closing the achievement gap. This federal funding provided an opportunity to make one-time investments; the funding is ending in September 2024 and the district can no longer rely on these dollars to supplement and enhance operations.
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Why have costs increased at 欧美巨乳色情片?
The majority of 欧美巨乳色情片’s operating budget is spent on staff and the cost of labor has increased significantly in the current year. However, the state funded the current service level in the biennial budget. This funding level included a 2.5% cost of living increase. In contrast, 欧美巨乳色情片 invested in a 6.25% increase in pay for a majority of 欧美巨乳色情片 team members. Non-personnel costs like supplies, materials, and purchased services have also trended up with inflation. Here is a chart depicting the increase in inflation compared to State School Fund resources.
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How much is spent per student at my school?
Per student spend at 欧美巨乳色情片 varies depending on the school size, grade-levels served, programs offered and designations. The following are factors that can increase per-pupil spending at a school:
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Schools designated for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), or qualifying for Federal Title I funding
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Schools with higher proportions of students in poverty or who are historically underserved
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Some special programs, such as single-strand immersion programs co-located with a neighborhood program
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Under enrollment, especially in combination with any of the above factors
In 2023-24 School Reports, per pupil spend is between approximately $7,500 and $25,000. Per pupil spending for 2024-25 is still being determined.
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How will my school be impacted by budget cuts?
Schools will be impacted differently depending on the enrollment changes at the school, grade levels served, programs offered, and other factors, including the school’s designation and student demographics. 欧美巨乳色情片 provides differentiated funding to schools, meaning schools with higher needs receive more resources. Here is a that provides further details by school.
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Why does the budget include non-student facing positions in schools, such as Instructional Coaches?
Our budget reflects three big areas in which 欧美巨乳色情片 leadership has invested to drive increases in student achievement. We have developed a unified vision of what teaching and learning should look like every day in every classroom for every student. We have provided high-quality, grade level instructional materials and resources to every teacher. And, we are providing teachers with real-time, job-embedded professional learning by Instructional Coaches to support their adoption of and use of these materials. Research has shown that materials and support make a difference in shifting instructional practice and increasing student achievement. Our proposed budget honors this research and supports these three areas.
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How will library assistant reductions impact my student?
As with all reductions in this budget, we sought to minimize as much as possible the impact on students, and on initiatives that have proven successful in our students’ achievement. While we value the role of Library Assistants and the support for library operations, we have made these reductions in a way that continues access to library services and ensures that we meet the contract requirements for planning time for K-5 educators. While overall library hours may be reduced, students at all grade levels will continue to have the same guaranteed library minutes next school year as they currently have. There was no change made to high school library allocations, as they were still allocated a full-time Teacher Librarian, consistent with the current year. As with all staffing allocations, school leaders have flexibility in staffing their schools within these staffing model guidelines. This may lead to variability from school to school in how libraries were staffed in the current year and how they will be staffed next year; and how many library minutes students receive.
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What do the budget cuts mean for class size across our system?
Looking ahead to next year, the district projects the average elementary class at 23.2 students. The district estimates that 98.7% of total homerooms will be below the class size maximum. For comparison, in the current year, the average elementary class size is 22.3. Generally, class size maximums will return to 2021-22 levels.
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I understand there are fewer students attending 欧美巨乳色情片 schools. What is the rate of decline? Why does this matter for funding?
Comparing the current school year to last school year, 欧美巨乳色情片 lost about 600 students, equivalent to two average elementary schools. This is faster than the overall rate in Oregon. Since 2019-2020, 欧美巨乳色情片’ enrollment has declined 9.5% while Oregon’s enrollment has declined by 6%. A primary revenue source for the district’s operating budget is our State School Fund allocation; this allocation is based on enrollment. 欧美巨乳色情片’s proportionate share of State School Fund revenue is also declining more than other districts.
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Where did the students go? Will they come back?
欧美巨乳色情片’s demographics have changed in recent years and we see fewer families with young children in our city. There is a birth rate decline in 欧美巨乳色情片, suggesting that the enrollment decline will continue. Some 欧美巨乳色情片 families are seeking public-school alternatives like private school and homeschool. The district partners with demographers at 欧美巨乳色情片 State University to project enrollment; many data sources are engaged in this work, including birth rates and developments in housing. Based on available information, the district currently projects that the enrollment decline will continue for the next ten years.
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What departments and programs are provided by the district's central office, and how does the central office support schools?
The central office exists to support schools. Departments and programs are housed centrally because it is the most cost effective way to provide certain services. In some cases, that is because central departments and programs are providing the same support to multiple schools:
- Curriculum selection, adoption, and implementation
- Special Education oversight and management
- Athletics
- School performance and management for 80+ schools
- Student health programs
- Behavior, social, and emotional support programs
- Technology support for teachers, students, and schools
- Facilities maintenance and support
- Safety and security
- Nutrition services
- Transportation services
- Research, evaluation, and assessment to meet reporting requirements and provide data to support improvement of student outcomes
Departments and programs may also be centralized because they support the district’s overall operations, such as:
Most central departments’ functions persist regardless of whether they are fulfilled centrally or in schools. That means central reductions can produce longer timelines or more work for schools. For example, a reduction in the IT department might extend the time it takes to repair a computer at a school, while a reduction in Finance, Budget and Procurement might mean it takes longer to reimburse a teacher for approved classroom expenses.
- Human Resources
- Finance, Budget, and Procurement
- Information Technology
- Legal counsel
- Risk management
- Communications
- Strategic partnerships
- Federal program and grant oversight
Some departments are not legally required but extend the work of schools and of the district. For example, Student and Family Engagement are not required, nor are central Communications, but reductions will harm the relationship between our community and the district. Reductions to Strategic Partnerships can mean fewer grant dollars, or cuts to the Climate Crisis response will delay our implementation of that vital policy.