The Ignacio School District has started the 2015-16 school year with just under $14 million in operating funds, as approved by the school board earlier this summer. The budget includes authorization to tap $350,000 from the district's starting fund balance.
"These are trying times to make sure the budget is balanced and we aren't over-extending ourselves," board president Toby Roderick said.
Superintendent Rocco Fuschetto said, "We'll keep fighting for impact aid," federal money for districts that have a large enrollment from families that live or work on federal land. "That's our saving grace," he said.
The budget projects $8.67 million in operating revenue, including $925,000 of federal impact aid.
It shows $2.4 million from local revenue, including $2.1 million from property taxes. It shows $5.79 million of state funding, but with a catch: the ongoing "negative factor" imposed by the legislature reduces that by an estimated $837,579.
The negative factor represents per pupil funding mandated by Amendment 23, approved by state voters in 2000, but not being funded by the legislature for the past several years. Ignacio's reduction for 2014-15 was $881,166.
District salaries and benefits (except for food service and federal programs) total $5.1 million plus $2.1 million in benefits.
Various support services, administration, business functions, transportation and transfers to other funds bring the total to $9.1 million. That plus $4.8 million in reserves brings the operating budget to $13.9 million.
The budget lists elementary school expenses at $2.34 million, middle school expenses at $1.496 million, and high school expenses at $2.1 million. District-wide expenses such as gifted and talented, special ed, central administration, technology, maintenance, and transportation total $3.19 million.
The board will adjust the budget in January based on actual district enrollment, Fuschetto said. The budget approved on June 25 is based on a funded count of 755.7. "We're supposed to get around $193,000 out of the $10 million that goes to small school districts under 1,000. That's not in here," he said.
Finance Director Marie Horn explained the $193,000 is a Colorado Department of Education (CDE) program grant.
"I don't know when it might come. It might not even happen," she said. "If we get it, I would revise the budget."
