School board looks at budget

PALMER -- The Mat-Su Borough School Board has a $122 million budget on its table that has few of the controversial cuts presented last year, but several factors could change that.

At a board work session last week, Superintendent Pat Chesbro and her staff discussed their budget recommendation for next year, which includes increasing class sizes at middle schools by one, making it 23 students per teacher, and eliminating the director of secondary activities' position. The director post was created last year when Bill Harlow was removed as principal of Colony High and placed in central administration. Cutting the position will save the district around $100,000.

With the exception of these two changes, the district's budget proposal is largely status quo and contains none of the contentious cuts recommended during the last budget cycle. Student-teacher ratios would remain 24 to 1 at the elementary level and 25 to 1 at high schools. Activity fees remain unchanged, and no sports are on the cutting block.

"It looks to me like we're not making any major adjustments," board member Larry DeVilbiss told the Frontiersman after the presentation.

Last year, the district recommended eliminating several sports and reducing maintenance, classroom and administrative support by millions of dollars. Many of those same cuts were later restored when the borough assembly gave as much money to schools as it could by state law and the state increased its per-student funding.

This year's budget cycle could ride a similar roller coaster. The administration's recommendation is based on convincing the assembly to once again fund schools to the maximum -- around $30 million -- and getting the teachers' union to agree to the district's contract proposal. Negotiations were recently declared at an impasse and a federal mediator has been called in.

"I'm not assuming anything right now," DeVilbiss said.

He, others on the board and several district officials indicated that the assembly might not be as keen on fully funding schools as it was last year.

That's where the roller coaster could begin. Any less money coming in or more going out will require the school board to make cuts.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance Bob Doyle presented graphs showing where the money in the proposed budget will come from and where it will go. Around 89 percent of the $122 million is earmarked for salaries and benefits. The remaining 11 percent is divvied up among insurance premiums, utilities, leases, supplies, equipment and other items.

"There are limits to what we can cut without affecting staff," Doyle advised the board.

While the district could lose money through less-than-hoped-for borough funding or increased teacher contract costs, it also stands to gain.

The budget proposal is based on the current state funding formula. Doyle pointed out that there are several bills currently before the Legislature that would increase that funding formula, and consequently bring in more money for Mat-Su schools. But rather than counting chickens before they are hatched, the district administration opted to assume no additional state money will be coming in.

There are several other unresolved issues in this budget cycle as well. The Midnight Sun Family Learning Center charter school is in need of an additional $55,000 after the state changed how it could count its students and, therefore, how much money it could receive. The board formed a subcommittee to meet with the charter school and come up with a plan.

The superintendent has made a request of her own in this budget -- to set aside funds for several kindergarten teachers so she can continue her plan to reduce class sizes at kindergarten through third grades, which she says research shows are critical grades.

Another change in this year's budget comes as an affect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- property and liability insurance premiums are projected to increase by nearly 40 percent. The cost to the district will be an additional $400,000.

While the board remained relatively quiet as the district presented its budget plan, member Linda Menard did question how much money goes toward central administration. While the current budget proposal reduces the central administration staff by one, Menard argued the trend has been the opposite.

"We have added some people," she said, listing a facilities project manager, risk manager, assistant superintendent and public information specialist as new positions created in the past few years.

"I think we've added and subtracted," Doyle responded.

Board members Mike Chmielewski and Bob Johnson requested a report on the number of positions, and their price tags, in central administration during the past 10 years.

While specifics of the budget remain in question, several board members said they were pleased with how the information was presented to them.

"This is one of the best-organized budgets I've ever been given," DeVilbiss said.

The school board has until April 1 to make its changes to the district budget before referring it to the Mat-Su Borough Assembly. Public hearings on the budget are slated for Feb. 20 and March 6, both at 6 p.m. in the school board chambers at Palmer High School.