School budget shortfall is now in the hands of Mat-Su Assembly

The Mat Su Borough School District presented its preliminary budget at a special joint assembly meeting  Tuesday night, and made a financial appeal to increase funding levels to avoid eliminating teaching positions for the second year in a row. In a one-hundred-and-eight page summary presentation the District said current funding levels would lead to A significant reduction in their ability to adequately
address needed educational improvements. Superintendent Deena Paramo says the District requested the Assembly increase the Borough contributions, which is currently above the State-required minimum contribution, but falls short of matching a 33-percent increase in enrollment of the last decade.

The district is required to present a balanced annual budget each year by April 1st, and Paramo says the District always knows its expenses, but frequently won’t know its revenues until after the legislative session ends in April.

Paramo says this forces the district to plan the budget around worst-case funding scenario that can improve at the last minute. they frequently trim positions to meet the balanced budget, only to find they have more money to work with after the legislative session ends.  Paramo says the District has asked the Borough for three-year projections of their revenues, so they can make plans ranging longer into the future.

The detailed presentation, which is available on the School District’s website, gives a detailed overall picture of revenues and expenses, and gives a best-case scenario of a 6 and a half million dollar shortfall, and a worst case of 13 million dollar shortfall, or 132 positions eliminated for Fiscal Year 2012-2013.