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DEL.ICIO.USIt’s Budget/Headache Season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Local school boards are starting to work on budgets for the 2005-2006 school year. Here’s a story about Atlanta’s plight.
The Atlanta city school system has the second-highest per-pupil spending in metro Atlanta and enrollment is falling. Yet, money is tight because expenses are rising. Go figure.
If you want to develop a searing headache, try to figure out exactly where money in a large or midsize school district goes. The short answer is salaries. But a clear picture of school-by-school spending is generally elusive. This year, I’m covering DeKalb’s budget process and I’m determined to get a detailed breakdown. When I do, I’ll share it…
Have you ever tried to dissect a school district budget?
Changing the subject: Are you a Clayton County parent? I’m looking for Clayton parents for a story I’m working on. Please shoot me an e-mail at pghezzi@ajc.com if you fit the bill.
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By Harvey Davis
March 17, 2005 10:14 AM | Link to this
In developing the 2006 Budget the Fulton School Board has an opportunity to take advantage of the expertise of interim Superintendent James Wilson brings as they also assess the forensic audit of cost overruns in the construction of schools in North Fulton.
In a related matter school board officials released financials last week in an attempt to combat the contention by residents and the Fulton Board of Commissioners that South Fulton schools are losing out at the expense of North Fulton schools.
The statistics they released only paint part of the picture because they reflect SPLOST I dollars and school construction. If they released statistics on SPLOST II – the disparity that South Fulton residents point out would be crystal clear.
Now that the SPLOST II schools are all complete in North Fulton, the South County construction efforts that barely started are on hold, ironically as the North County construction efforts are being audited. To add insult to injury the Board wants to re-examine construction priorities as South County construction is finally at the front of the line.
That said statistics and number crunching only tell part of the story. The facilities deficiency is a brick and mortar symptom of deeper and pervasive issues that really matter…results!
The percentage of minority students (grades 4, 6, and 8) “Not Meeting or Exceeding Expectations� on CRCT Reading, Math and Language Arts sections is too high
South Fulton fifth grade students fall below the System and North Fulton students in “Engaging or Extending Stages� on the Grade 5 Georgia Writing Assessment
South Fulton SAT scores below the Nation, State and Fulton County School System
South Fulton student population forecasting consistently inaccurate / under projected (Sandtown Middle School was over capacity when it opened this year!!)
Overall performance in South Fulton Schools needs improvement and does not meet AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for the South Fulton Community
The 2006 Budget and a commitment from the School Board to be proactive are essential in providing for the needs of ALL Fulton County students. Board Members must adhere to this provision in their code of ethics “Vote on the interest of the system as a whole and not on a particular segment thereof.�
By Richard
March 17, 2005 01:42 PM | Link to this
I guess I’m not as interested in the budget as I am in how money is actually spent. Are records kept of how much is spent on supplies, employee travel, building maintainence, computers, books, etc.? I’m also curious about the number of teachers employed by local school systems and the number of non-teaching staff. (By teachers, I mean teachers who are in the classroom, not teachers who are out of the classroom on union business or mentoring other teachers.) I recently read somewhere that the ratio of teachers to non-teaching staff is generally higher here in the US than in other countries (and even worse for large school systems.) Is that true? Does anyone know what the ratio is?
By Richard
March 17, 2005 02:51 PM | Link to this
Whoops. I meant, “…ratio of teachers to non-teaching staff is generally lower…”.