School District 197 Budget Framework Includes $2.4 Million Reduction

The West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School Board is proposing a cut of $2.4 million for the 2011-2012 school year. The reduction is designed to overcome a $1.4 million budget shortfall and to create a pot of money that the schools can use to reduce long-term costs and improve education.

The board met Tuesday morning to approve a budget framework for the 2011-2012 fiscal year budgeting process. The framework recommends the $2.4 million cut and identifies the board’s priorities for funding. It does not make recommendations or identify what should be cut to reach that target.

Board member Mark Spurr, who sits on the finance committee, said the board needed to reduce the “business-as-usual” , but still wanted to pursue some of their priorities and “transformational programs” at the same time.

The additional $1 million in unspent reserves will be split into $500,000 for each of the next two school years. Schools in the district will be able to submit proposals for how they want to use those “innovation dollars.”

The board is expected to outline a budgeting process and schedule at their next meeting, and the finance committee is expected to bring forth some preliminary options for budget cuts in March. Board chair Robin Rainford said the public is invited to provide input when the board is choosing between funding alternatives.

Priorities in the framework:

• Close the achievement gap through the federal funding, technology and a boost to early education.  
• Better integrate MAP growth data into planning and make it available to families. MAP data is gathered through computerized testing of students, and provides near-instantaneous feedback on a student’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Continue to develop the SPARKS program, which identifies students’ academic interests and tailors their education toward those strengths.
• Use magnet grant money to test out pilot learning programs and technology, and gather data on the effectiveness and impact of the new programs.
• Train staff in technology and customized learning for students.
• Further develop partnerships with community organizations and businesses to support education.

Plenty of unknowns still affect plans for funding district operations, according to the district’s Finance Director Carl Colemark. The district won’t know how much they will receive from the state, the bulk of their revenue, until the Legislature passes an education finance bill later this spring. The district is expecting flat funding.

Upcoming collective bargaining with employees also can create variables for personnel costs. The last contract negotiations resulted in a “soft freeze,” according to Colemark.