Principals ready to work with new school budgets

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

A one-time infusion of $600,000 into new student-based budgeting formulas for area schools has principals saying they can work with their new numbers, but there are concerns about what the future might bring.

Principals received their budget allocations for the 2007-08 school year on March 9 based on student-population counts that were accurate for a moment in time. Student enrollment means almost everything to the way district dollars will be allocated in upcoming years, but those counts can change daily.

For example, Preston Junior High Principal Rick Ramirez had eight new students enroll in his south Fort Collins school on March 15 alone. Preston, Kinard and Webber have the highest enrollments of junior highs in the district --around 800 students each.

Preston will see more funding per student as a result of the change to student-based budgeting, but for the coming year it gave up $25,267 of its gain so that schools that are seeing decreases do not lose as much as the new formula dictates.

This transitional safety net is allocated so that no school loses more than 20 percent of its current budget. To offset that cost, no school gains more than 80 percent. Altogether, PSD has allocated $87.2 million for 23,000 students. Additional funding covers items such as special education, athletics, transportation and alternative programs.

"We're moving toward equitable funding," Ramirez said.

At the other end of the head count, Lincoln Junior High in north Fort Collins is getting a $113,913 cushion so that its allocation based on lower enrollment is easier to handle next school year. Lincoln will be funded for 369 students, with extra money for English language learners and at-risk students. Its base allocation is $1.77 million.

Cache La Poudre Junior High in LaPorte is getting a $49,781 cushion on top of a base allocation of $1.75 million for 405 students.

"This year, CLP came out OK," said Principal Brian Williams. "What the future holds, I don't know."

CLPJH is a school that gains student enrollment through school choice - about 100 are preregistered for next year. "If it wasn't for school of choice, we'd be pretty small," Williams said.

Next door, at Cache La Poudre Elementary, Principal Steve Schiola is losing two full-time staff positions. That would happen under either the old or new funding formula, he said, but noted it is difficult to absorb a loss of two out of 25 staffing units.

Schiola supports the new student-based budgeting because it is "very clear." "It's easy to explain to parents," he said. "The old way was more convoluted."

Now that the basics of student-based budgeting have been put in place, school administrators agree the district needs to think more about how it will fund small schools in future years. PSD will convene an in-depth, small-school study starting in June to explore areas such as special needs of smaller schools, what makes small schools successful and funding options to support small schools.

"The environment of a 400-kid school is great," Schiola said.

However, CLPE is a small school getting smaller. It enrolled 505 students back in 1997 and is projected to have 389 students next year. In comparison, Eyestone Elementary in Wellington peaked at 740 students this year and will fall back to 559 next year when the new Rice Elementary opens with 240 students. Irish Elementary in north Fort Collins has seen recent enrollment range from 406 students in 2003 to 355 in 2005.

According to district administrators, during the last five years enrollment in 19 of 27 elementary schools has declined, and enrollment in five of nine junior highs has declined.

Ramirez said the small-school study will help all principals better understand each other's issues.