[HenleyMatters] ACPS 08/09 Budget

[Hashisaki]

Albemarle County Public Schools 2008-2009 Budget
And How You Can Voice Your Opinion

Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the budget  
request.
Contact your public representatives to let them know your thoughts on  
the 08-09 school budget.

In December 2007 Superintendent Pamela Moran submitted the 08/09  
Budget Request to the ACPS Board.
Check out the very brief overview below and read more online at the  
ACPS website http://www.k12albemarle.org/board/budget.

The Albemarle County Budget website is http://www.albemarle.org/budget.


Important Public Hearing Dates

Tuesday, January 29, 2008  School Board Public Hearing on the Funding  
Request. Attend this meeting and speak up! 6:30 pm in the auditorium  
at Monticello HS. (Register to speak beginning at 4:30.)

Wednesday, March 5, 2008  Albemarle County Board of Supervisors  
Public Hearing on the County Executive’s Recommended Budget.  Attend  
this meeting and speak up! Time and location TBA.

If you cannot attend the public hearings, let your thoughts be heard  
by email, mail, fax, or telephone.

Contact information for School Board:

To e-mail the entire School Board, click here.

School Board Office
Jennifer Johnston, Clerk
401 McIntire Road - Room 345
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902

Telephone: (434) 296-5893

Fax: (434) 296-5869


Contact information for the Board of Supervisors:

If you wish to contact the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, you  
may use the following group email: bos at albemarle.org. Otherwise see  
the Board Members' page to contact them individually.

Board of Supervisors
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902

Telephone:  (434) 296-5843

Fax:  (434) 296-5800

Budget Overview

The budget season, especially the public hearings held by the School  
Board and by the County Board of Supervisors, is your best  
opportunity to have an influence on school-related decisions.  Budget  
decisions impact classroom sizes, recruitment and retention of  
teachers, course offerings, staffing of specialists (math, literacy,  
etc.) and much, much more at every level of the county school district.

The budget request reflects the reduced revenues of the county in  
2007 (funding for the 07-08 budget was reduced by $2.2 million due to  
decreased real estate assessments). The budget also reflects the long- 
term goals and mission of the ACPS, including:
	* Maintaining competitive teacher and support staff salaries, and  
covering cost increases in benefits.
	* Improving and expanding resources and support for teachers and  
students, including curriculum design, training, technology and  
leadership development.
	* Continuing and broadening the work in progress already proving  
results through student achievement gains.
In Dr. Moran¹s words: "This Funding Request represents our best plan  
for meeting school division needs within the constraints of limited  
resources."

Funding Request At-A-Glance

Revenue and Expenses

• $152.1 million in revenue
	* Includes 2.81 percent increase in revenue from all sources (local,  
state, federal)
	* Smallest increase in local revenue in living memory

• $152.9 million in expenses
	* $148 million budget adopted for 2007-08 school year
	* Expenses for 2008-09 are projected to increase 3.37 percent

• $862,637 difference between projected revenue and Superintendent’s  
Funding Proposal projected expenses.  This can be reduced with either  
increased revenues or reductions in expenses.

Employee Compensation

• The Superintendent’s Funding Request includes $6.2 million in  
employee compensation and benefits cost increases. The figure  
incorporates significant cost savings the School Division realized  
through staff turnover, department re-benchmarking, and the state’s  
reduction of the Virginia Retirement System rates.

• Albemarle County School Board and Board of Supervisors received  
salary and benefits projection data from the Human Resources  
Department in October 2007 that reflects the two Board’s jointly  
adopted market compensation strategy.

• Market teacher salary increase of 4 percent, plus small market  
adjustment increases results in increases ranging from 1.67 to 5.76  
percent.

• Classified employee salary market adjustment of 0.35 percent plus a  
merit pool of 4 percent. Classified employees receive an annual merit  
raise based upon their performance evaluation; not all employees  
receive a 4 percent increase.

• Health insurance costs are projected to increase 8 percent

• Dental insurance costs are projected to increase 6 percent

Budget FAQs

http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/education/sctemp/ 
23a56fd64a6f67a03e16feac8e698e78/1199929839/BudgetFAQ1207.pdf

A list of Frequently Asked Questions (available at the ACPS website  
on the Budget page) can be very helpful to understanding many of the  
issues involved in developing and approving the budget. Here is a  
list of the questions available online (along with the answers):

1) Where are the sources of School Division revenue?

2) How does the School Division spend its budget?

3) What does the administration, attendance and health category  
represent?

4) What does the transfers category represent?

5) What does the Comprehensive Services Act (CSA) pay for?

6) How does the local real estate tax rate affect School Division  
funding?

7) How does the Virginia Lottery benefit Albemarle County Public  
Schools?

8) Has the School Division's student enrollment changed over the past  
10 years?

9) Why do teachers and other positions in the school system receive  
annual raises that are higher than the standard cost-of-living  
adjustment?

10) How does student enrollment impact the budget?

11) Why isn't budget growth proportionate to enrollment growth?

12) What is an "unfunded mandate"?

13) What are some examples of federal unfunded mandates?

14) What are some examples of state unfunded mandates?

15) Why are the Standards of Quality (SOQ) important?

16) How do the minimum standards described in the Standards of  
Quality (SOQ) and associated state payments affect Albemarle County's  
taxpayers?

17) What is the "composite index" and how does it impact revenue?

18) What is the School Board's responsibility in the budget  
development process?

19) What roles does the School Division's vision, mission and  
strategic goals play in the budget development process?

20) How is the School Division budget created?

21) How does education impact our economic vitality?


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://listserv.bnsi.net/pipermail/henleymatters/attachments/20080126/d137713e/attachment.html