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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2007 > October > 23
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Cutting it close budget-wise
Dayton schools, which started last year with $23 million cash and a $190 million core budget, finished in June with just $827,000 in the bank.
That thin margin of error is not projected to change much for the next five years.
Treasurer Stan Lucas Tuesday presented a five-year financial forecast to the school board’s finance committee that showed a continuing squeeze on the district’s bottom line.
“For 2008 to 2112, we have a very closely aligned budget for revenues and expenditures,” Lucas said.
The core budget for this school year — for operating the district’s academic program — reflects $23 million in cuts, coming in at $167 million. The district’s total budget is down $31.7 million from the prior year after the May levy defeat.
Going forward, the forecast projects a balanced budget through 2112 but district carries over as little as 0.75 percent of the budget in cash.
The projected budgets going forward assume programs that were cuts for this year will not return. That means a continuation of longer school days, larger class sizes and fewer extracurriculars, Lucas said.
It also means one-time adds back into this year’s budget — such as high school busing, adjunct arts faculty and middle school sports — will disappear for the next four years. Those cuts were restored this year after outside funds were raised to pay for them.
Only a levy can reverse all the cuts, Lucas said.
State law requires the board to pass the five-year forecast by month’s end. It will meet Tuesday to vote on it, board President Yvonne Isaacs said.
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Incumbents trumpet successes at forum
Three challengers for Dayton school board all skipped Monday’s televised candidates night, leaving the incumbents two hours to tout their accomplishments.
The event, produced by students at the Patterson Career Academy, was sponsored by the Dayton Education Council, a parent and community support group for schools and shown live on the cable television.
Council President Les Weller said all seven candidates were invited. Challenger Nancy Nerny declined the invitation, he said, and Shirley Crisp, another newcomer in the race, pulled out today citing a back injury. Sheila Taylor, the third challenger, called shortly after Crisp and said she wasn’t coming either.
Reached at home, Crisp said she she simply needed to rest an injured her back. Taylor and Nerny could not be reached for comment.
The four incumbents — Stacy Thompson, Mario Gallin, Lee Massoud and Jeff Mims — took questions from the council, the studio audience and callers. They trumpeted the board’s efforts to give kids more choices, improve instruction and build new schools.
In response to a question about the graduation rate, Thompson said it had jumped to nearly 80 percent from less than 50 percent. She said new options like single gender schools, an academic magnet high school and a technology design program have helped keep kids in school.
“We need to ensure that we have programming in place to meet the needs of our students,” she said.
Gallin said a question about parent involvement raised a key issue. She said new initiatives with churches and businesses will help, as will finding new ways to communicate with district families, such as e-mail and church bulletins.
“We have challenges on that front,” she said. “We have to get people to understand we need their input and involvement.”
When a caller asked for examples of the board’s successes, Massoud cited steady enrollment the past two years after several years of steep losses to charter schools.
“That tells me people are still believing in us and entrusting us with their children,” she said.
Former board member Doniece Gatliff, asked from the audience how the candidates would support the board’s goals. Mims said they must unify to make a difference for kids.
“If we can’t unify ourselves to challenge those who are not working in our best interests then I find it difficult to believe others will jump in and support us,” he said.
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