GPS Recognized for Low Administration Costs
Arizona Auditor General's Report for Gilbert Public SchoolsArizona School District Spending (Classroom Dollars)- Fiscal Year 2010
Budget Update, April 2011
Budget Presentation to Governing Board, April 12, 2011
At the Governing Board meeting on April 12, I presented what I hope to be the final GPS budget update for this year. At the March 22 Governing Board meeting, the budget presentation included two budgets, one based on the Governor's proposal and the other one based on the Senate's proposal. The Senate's budget advocated $7 million more in cuts from State funding than the Governor's proposal. Since March 22, the Governor, the Senate and the House of Representatives agreed on a compromise budget which cuts $5.4 million from the funding presently allocated to GPS. The approved state budget was somewhat of a compromise between the Governor's and the Senate's proposal.
The new state budget did provide some surprises. That is, there was a cut of $700,000 in the area of vocational education funding from EVIT because the state is no longer allowing school districts to count any grade 9 student who takes vocational education into a funding formula for vocational education satellite courses offered at the student's school. The state also changed a long standing tradition of splitting the cost of retirement contributions from a 50% employee contribution and a 50% employer contribution to a 53% employee contribution to a 47% employer contribution. Unfortunately this means that the employee will be paying more toward his/her retirement benefit next year.
Because the state did not cut capital to the extent that the senate proposal would have cut it, the District was able to move funds from capital to the regular budget. These funds, along with other cost saving measures the District will implement next year and along with the $3.5 from the Federal EduJobs money, were enough to provide a balanced budget (small surplus of $30,000) for the 2011-12 school year. This budget although providing no increases in salary or benefits means that there will be no reduction in pay or the implementation of furlough days.
I believe this budget is due to the effectiveness and efficiency of GPS which in turn is due to the hard work and dedication of the Governing Board and all 5000 dedicated employees of GPS.
I have included the budget information which I presented to the Board on April 12.
Thank you.
Dave Allison, Ed.D
Superintendent
