The 2011-12 budget process

One thing not often discussed when the district addresses budgets is the process that goes into the final recommendation.

Budgeting is ongoing all year, with sites paying close attention to expenditures, looking for ways to be more efficient. In fact, NBAPS schools are some of the most accountable in the state for their budgets.

The process of preparing a budget recommendation for the school board gets seriously underway in January when district leaders convene Budget Boot Camp, a comprehensive look at the district and possibilities for savings and reductions.

Once annual audits are complete, we are able to forecast the next year’s deficit, which is presented to the school board at a work session.

Between that work session and the final recommendation, each site in the district is given a projection of enrollment decline for the next year as well as a reduction amount. At NBAPS, the “money follows the student,” which means that each site bases next year’s budget on how many students we expect they will serve. In this way we ensure every student receives his or her fair allotment of funding from the state to the best of our ability.

The district is also receiving input from the community and staff during this time, and while not all suggestions are feasible, there have been many suggestions from the public the district has embraced. Some of those examples include closing the Main Street School, reducing Middle School activities, and the four-day week.

The final recommendation is presented to the school board for consideration as a whole. The reason for that is the recommendation’s complexity. Each cut potentially affects many other areas of the budget and considering the budget line by line isn’t feasible. Making cuts in one area can result in additional expenses in another.

The district conducts a public hearing on the recommendation (March 10 this year), and the school board is afforded time to study the recommendation, offer suggestions, and ask questions prior to its final approval later in March.

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