June 18, 2004

2004-2005 Budget Approved

The Board of Education this week approved a $565.2 million general fund budget for the 2004-2005 school year that captures months of work by schools and central departments to make reductions in their overall plans – $25 million in all – and results in a balanced spending plan.

In all, central office budgets were reduced by $8.7 million (13 percent of funding) and schools cut $8 million from their operations (about 3 percent on average for each school).

"As a Board we had to make a lot of very, very tough decisions that I wish we didn’t have to make," said Board member Bruce Hoyt. "At the end the good news is that we are passing a balanced budget and I believe we are fully funding the district’s priorities, including the efforts to close the achievement gap between better and poorer performing students."

Board member Elaine Gantz Berman praised the work of Collaborative School Committees for creative thinking in minimizing the impact on students, and Board member Theresa PeÒa thanked the "generosity" of Denver voters in supporting the November 2003 mill levy proposals "that allow us to continue to make the progress we’re making."

Added Superintendent Jerry Wartgow: "It has been a very difficult process but in the end we lived up to the legal obligation and moral obligation to present a balanced budget." He thanked the Board for "focusing the money on the goals . . . I believe the funds are there to provide a quality educational program for the district."

The plan includes individual budgets for each of the six mill levy initiatives – more textbooks, expanded Early Childhood Education and kindergarten programs, increased elementary arts and music instruction, increased repairs and maintenance, revitalizing neighborhood schools and secondary school reforms. In all, $20 million is budgeted each year for these initiatives.

The budget includes compensation increases for all employees, including a 2.6 percent increase for teachers and other staff represented by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, 1.7 percent for principals and 1.49 percent for all other employees. Contract negotiations with the DCTA are not yet complete.

The proposed budget reflects an anticipated increase in revenues from the state of $12.7 million - or 2.6 percent. Local sources of revenue (excluding the mill levy funds and charter school Amendment 23 grants) are up by $1.7 million.

While overall revenues increased, three main issues required that reductions be made in school and central office spending in order to present a balanced budget.

First, the district’s contribution to the Denver Public Schools Retirement System is currently under funded. An additional $7.9 million is required to boost the contribution rate from 4.98 percent to 8.12 percent. (This is largely due to lower market returns in recent years on investments of the pension system.)

Second, district enrollment is anticipated to increase next school year by 826 students (from kindergarten through grade 12). However, the district charter and contract school enrollment is expected to grow by 2,093 while enrollment in all other schools is expected to drop by 1,267 students. The anticipated drop in enrollment in neighborhood schools and the increase in charter school enrollment will generate a net increase in expenditures of $7.7 million. (The district passes through about 97 percent of per-pupil funding for those students enrolled in charter and slightly less for contract schools. Five new charter schools are opening next year, bringing the district’s charter school total to 17. In addition, there will be one more contract school.)

Third, the district is continuing an effort to eliminate the previous use of one-time funding sources from the base budget. This adds an additional $6.2 million cost to the 2004-2005 budget.

Other reductions included $5.3 million from reserves and one-time reductions, $700,000 from use of RTD for high school transportation, $300,000 from alternative school budgets and $300,000 saved from closing a school.

Consistent Student Fee Schedule Set

The Board of Education this week repealed and re-enacted the policy that governs student fees, creating more consistency among districtwide fees for items such as workbooks and supplies that become the personal property of students.

The new policy underscores two key practices – students won’t pay fees for textbooks used in required academic courses, and students whose families qualify for free or reduced-price meals won’t pay any fees.

"No student will be denied participation because of lack of funds," said North High School principal Darlene LeDoux. "We find ways to get books for indigent students. As soon as we hear from the teacher or the parent or the student, we make materials available to students at no charge."

The policy requires schools to issue a complete list of fees each year and clearly designate to families those fees that are mandatory and voluntary. (Most elementary students won’t have any fees at all with the exception of before and after school childcare costs and "extras" such as field trips, which often are paid for by school fundraisers instead of student fees).

Examples of mandatory fees include Advanced Placement textbooks or workbooks that are used in elective courses and that will become the personal property of the student, overdue library book charges, and textbook damage assessments.

Voluntary fees are "pay-as-you-play" charges such as the athletic participation fees, middle and high school activity ticket costs, athletic game admissions, high school student parking fees, student planner prices, and band uniform rentals.

High school principals met earlier this year to review fees for materials used in classes such as art, music and technology and agreed to charge students only for the actual cost of the materials used for products they’ll be taking home. These fees will vary from school to school because, for example, a photography program will vary from school to school.

Fees will be posted online this month at www.dpsk12.org.

Board Schedules Next Years Meetings

The Board of Education this week set its meeting dates for the 2004-2005 school year.

The Board usually meets twice each month on the first and third Thursdays. The regular meeting begins at 5 p.m. and is preceded by a work session beginning at 4 p.m. Agenda items for the regular meeting are reviewed and discussed at that time.

On the first Thursday of the month, the meeting includes a Public Hearing beginning at 7 p.m. Individuals wishing to address the Board of Education during the Public Hearing need to sign up in advance. Any interested parent, student, staff member or community member may bring information or an issue forward at Public Hearings. To sign up to speak, please call 303-764-3210 by 4 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

Meeting dates for the 2004-2005 school year are: August 5 and 19, 2004; September 2 and 23 (fourth Thursday); October 7 and 21; November 4 and 18; December 2 and 16; January 6 and 20, 2005; February 3 and 17; March 3 and 17; April 7 and 21; May 5 and 19; and June 2 and 16.

Final Meeting This Year Is June 24

The Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for 5 p.m. Thursday, June 24 to wrap up its business for the 2003-2004 school year.

Students Come Home From National History Day Competition With Trophies

Superintendent Jerry Wartgow announced at this week’s Board of Education meeting that Denver’s National History Day student teams are heading home from the University of Maryland with a bundle of trophies.

Denver Public Schools sent 12 of the 28 Colorado entries to the five-day national competition this week. Of those 12 entries, eight advanced to the final round of competition. In order to do that, the entry had to place either first or second in the preliminary heats of competition. There were seven heats in each entry category, so 14 entries advanced to finals. In addition, two other DPS entries placed third in the preliminary heats, just missing the finals.

At the awards ceremony yesterday, the state of Colorado had one bronze medal winner and two silver medal winners. In addition, one award for "outstanding state entry" was presented in both the junior and senior age groups. All of these awards went to Denver Public Schools students.

Principals Appointed

This week the Board of Education approved five principal appointments, including:

Board Notes

In other action this week, the Board of Education approved:

This page was last updated: Friday, June 18, 2004 at 4:04:55 PM

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