Budget Message - May 5, 2011
Every Child. Every Chance. Every Day.
Our children have one chance for a great education. Together we need to get it right!
The Budget Committee met for the first time April 27, 2011 and members were presented with the 2011-2012 Proposed Budget.
Before the second meeting, the committee had a chance to thoroughly review the proposed budget and submit questions to the RSD Fiscal Department. At the second meeting, May 4, 2011, the committee was presented with the answers to their questions (click to review Q&A).
The committee was also presented with a flow chart explaining the budget approval process (click to review budget process).
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Budget Message - March 30, 2011
Every Child. Every Chance. Every Day.
Our children have one chance for a great education. Together we need to get it right!
The Oregon Legislature’s co-chairs of the joint Ways and Means committee submitted their proposed two-year budget Tuesday (March 29). Under this proposal K-12 schools will be funded $5.7 billion for 2011-13. This amount is $100 million more than Gov. John Kitzhaber proposed, which translates to approximately $1 million more for Redmond School District, reducing the anticipated shortfall for next year to $8.2 million.
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Budget Message - March 18, 2011
Every Child. Every Chance. Every Day.
Our children have one chance for a great education. Together we need to get it right!
To bridge the $9.2 million dollar budget deficit for the 2011-12 school year, the school board directed the district to use a collaborative process and build a balanced budget that preserves a standard school year based on instructional hours, preserves the quality and quantity of programs that serve our students, keeps class sizes at a manageable level, and has the least negative impact on employee jobs and salaries.
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Budget Message - February 14, 2011
Every Child. Every Chance. Every Day.
Our children have one chance for a great education. Together we need to get it right!
Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber released his state budget on February 1 and proposed a statewide K-12 budget for the 2011-13 funding cycle of $5.56 billion, a significant reduction from the last two-year budget. This will be the starting point for the Oregon Legislature to prepare the overall state budget.
On February 15, State leaders released the latest quarterly economic forecast, which provides us with additional information to craft the 2011-12 budget. Based on this information the Redmond School District is anticipating a potential shortfall deficit of as much as $9.8 million in the general fund for the 2011-12 school year.
The District's Internal Budget Task Force comprised of central support administrators, finance staff, school administrators, and employee associations continue to brainstorm all potential reductions and have begun the process of prioritizing these reductions through a collaborative conversation with all employees.
Last fall, we visited each of our schools with a Budget 101 message to explain how school funding works in the state of Oregon. By the end of this week, we will have completed the next round of these conversations with Budget 201 presentations, which is designed to provide information to all of our employees about the current status of projected revenue for next year and possible means to balance the 2011-12 budget in light of significant projected deficits.
Unfortunately, due to the magnitude of the estimated budget shortfall, staff reductions are inevitable. This is especially disheartening after three years of reductions totaling $9 million.
In working towards solution we must always look for decisions that produce a sustainable budget as we move forward while attempting to preserve a standard school year and maintain reasonable class sizes and program offerings.
I believe with all my heart that the effort we are putting into the budget process will yield results which make the most sense despite a very gloomy state economic picture. It is also my belief that by sharing information and working together we can solve this budgetary dilemma.
On February 17, the Budget Task Force will meet again to explore all ideas brought forth in the Budget 201 and Listening Session conversations and continue to refine our recommendation on how to move forward.
We will continue to update you on our progress and encourage you to follow the budget process by visiting the District's web page regarding budget (www.redmond.k12.or.us/budget) when it goes live on Friday, February 18.
As we brace for these difficult financial decisions, please be assured we will not lose focus on our mission to ensure every child has every chance, every day…and will explore ways to reduce expenditures that will have the least impact on students.
Our students are our future and they will continue to be our number one priority!
