Jackson School Board approves budget

The Jackson School Board Tuesday approved "virtually balanced" budget with a slight salary increase for teachers.

Wade Bartels, the district's chief financial officer, walked the board through the spending plan, which includes total revenue of $41,290,401 and total expenditures of $41,287,412.

"It's a virtually balanced budget," Bartels said.

The district expects to start the new fiscal year with a total of $10.64 million in its beginning balance, with total receipts and balances topping $51.93 million, according to the budget document.

Total fund transfers are expected to be nearly $5.64 million.

Earlier this month, the board approved a total 1.7 percent raise for teachers, similar to the slight increase they received in 2010-2011.

Salaries and benefits make up about 70 percent of the district's expenditures.

The district projects a 2 percent increase in assessed values, rising to $393.59 million, up about $7.7 million from the previous year. Assessed value in the district is four times what it was in 1996-1997, when values approached $96 million.

Local property taxes make up 44 percent of the district's budget. State appropriations are 37 percent, with Proposition C sales tax revenue at 9 percent of the pie, followed by federal funds at 7 percent, county dollars at 2 percent and other sources at 1 percent.

Local property taxes are expected to generate about $18.245 million in revenue in 2011-2012, with state funding marked at $15.4 million.

Much has changed since last year, when districts struggled with deep state funding cuts. This year an effectively flat Missouri public education budget of about $3 billion has kept state funding basically stable, a victory by most public educator estimates.

Districts last year confronted a 4 percent cut in what they were set to receive in foundation formula funds, the biggest source of state aid. For Jackson, that equaled a $560,000 reduction. The state is moving into its sixth year of the phase in of the new foundation formula, based on 86 percent of the new formula and 14 on the old.

One of the other big reductions last year came in state funding for transportation, which sustained multiple cuts. Gov. Jay Nixon in June 2010 reduced transportation by $70 million statewide as part of $280 million in cuts to balance the state budget. Jackson initially budgeted $350,000 in state transportation revenue, less than half the amount it has budgeted in past years.

Nixon announced earlier this month that he would, again, have to cut transportation aid, part of $172 million in budget cuts needed to meet a funding gap caused in large part by this spring's flooding and tornadoes.

Bartels has estimated the reduction in busing aid could cost the district between $40,000 and $50,000 in the coming school year.

The district retains its position as a low-spending district, with average expenditure per pupil at $7,532, more than $2,500 less than the state average of $9,751.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

614 E. Adams St., Jackson MO