ROGERS — w/infobox
ROGERS — School District officials expect to spend nearly $114 million during the 2012-13 school year with most of it on teacher salaries.
School Board members reviewed the current budget and compared it to last year’s expenditures during a study session Thursday night.
By The Numbers
Revenue, Expenditures
Anticipated revenue for 2012-13: $114,287,624
Anticipated expenditures for 2012-13: $113,955,604
The basic building block of the district’s budget starts with teacher salaries and benefits, said Kathy Hanlon, district treasurer. An average classroom teacher’s salary is $55,781 and the average salary for certified staff is $57,785, according to documents presented in the board meeting. Benefits, such as retirement or long-term disability, cost the district one quarter of salary costs, Hanlon told the board.
While 81 percent of operating expenditures come from salaries or benefits of some kind, most of the cost is classroom instruction. Alternative education, athletics, career and technology, gifted and talented, music and special education classes made up 14 percent of the district’s expenditures in 2011-12 and standard classroom instruction was 49 percent of the budget, according to presentation documents.
“Just about half of our budget goes to just regular, old school,” Hanlon said.
Few things have changed in the 2012-13 budget, which began July 1, Hanlon said.
Last year the district spent $109,331,904 and revenue was $115,454,489. This year Hanlon anticipates spending $113,955,604 with revenue of $114,287,624.
Teacher raises and the end of grants that paid for prekindergarten classes and a credit recovery software used at the high school are the two primary changes, Hanlon told the board. Raises cost the district $1.25 million and a step or teacher advancement program cost another $1.25 million. The prekindergarten grant helped expand the program lasted for years, but has now run out. Prekindergarten money comes from several grants and the district will absorb an additional $50,000 this year to run the program.
“Next year things will be a little tighter,” Hanlon said.
Expenditures by category
Teacher salaries: $60.6 million
Instructional support: $22.39 million
Administration/principals: $5.78 million
Operation and maintenance: $10.53 million
Transportation: $3.84 million
Other: $50,000
Debt payments: $10.77 million
Source: Staff Report
Board members asked about future projections for district growth. Computerized formulas are not accurate, said David Cauldwell, district business manager.
“The last two or three years it’s really been almost easier to observe the community,” Cauldwell said.
Superintendent Janie Darr said she has seen more homes being built in Rogers and kindergarten is growing. Administrators added another kindergarten classroom at Northside Elementary School on Tuesday. By latest count there are 1,270 kindergarten students in the Rogers School District and schools are averaging five kindergarten classrooms instead of four last year.
“We’ve never had this many kindergarten classes,” Darr said.
State money guaranteed to the district increased from $6,023 per student last year to $6,267 per student this year. The state formula is based on third-quarter attendance, which was 14,105 last year. However, with other funding sources the district spent a total of $7,751 per student. So far this year the district has 14,500 students, Darr said.