Durango School District 9-R board members will get a briefing from school officials Tuesday evening on the budget for the 2015-16 academic year, which will begin July 1.

The public is invited to attend the study session that will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Miller Middle School.

An early look at the district’s financial situation last week revealed that despite new revenue, expenses will leave the district $167,000 short of a balanced budget.

District 9-R had a general-fund budget of $39.6 million for the current year.

The district’s share of new money from the state is $978,387 – only a portion of the $4.3 million the district lost over the past five years as state legislators cut school funding in battling the recession.

But the state is limited by a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights on how much spending is allowed at a given moment. So school districts, 9-R included, will receive payback incrementally.

On the other side of the ledger, the district is looking at such major expenses as $644,000 for new salaries, $300,000 for special-education programs and $600,000 in capital projects.

A more refined look at revenue and expenses will come out of Tuesday’s study session and successive meetings.

daler@durangoherald.com