School budget revised to reflect enrollment

PALMER -- The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Fiscal Year 2004 budget has been revised to reflect the actual number of students enrolled at Horizon Charter School.

The initial funding for the school was based upon an enrollment of 200 students, but the school's actual enrollment ended up being 161.45. The enrollment change reduces the school's budget by $123,360.

Assistant superintendent of business Jack Sherman explained the changes to the district's school board earlier this month; initially parents received a stipend of $1,800 for each student enrolled in Horizon. The stipend was enlarged to $2,200 earlier this year. Concerns that the decrease in funding would affect this year's stipend were thwarted by Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle, who assured the board that there was enough money compiled to pay for the stipend increase this year.

"This increase was a one-year decision," Doyle said. "[But with the decrease] it is not sustainable over the long haul."

The stipend amount for next year will be revisited later in the school year.