By Polly Keary, Editor
Graphics by Angela Nickerson, RIM Publishing
- District Budget General Fund $67,411,700 (The General Fund pays for most of the major operations of the school district. Remaining funds have separate sources of income, whether separate levies, or federal or state sources, for the most part.) Debt Service Fund $5,893,475 ASB Fund $1,072,057 Transportation Fund $700,000 Capital Projects Fund $260,000
Ballots have been mailed to all Monroe School District-area voters, and they will be collected until Feb. 11.
As voters consider their choices on whether to support two Monroe School District levies, debates rage on social media and news comment forums over how much staff members at the district are paid, how that compares to other districts, how much more money did the school district get from the state this year than the year before, how much the district spends per student, and how much of the staff is made up of administrative personnel.
With the following series of graphics, we hope to make it easy to answer those questions at a glance. To see the complete budget, visit http://www.monroe.wednet.edu/SUPERINTENDENT/08-05-13ExecutiveSummary.pdf.-á
Staff
Instructional staff include 237 teachers and 110 staff members including nurses, special ed. teachers, librarians and more.
Para-educators are in a class by themselves, as they sometimes assist in classrooms, but also help with non-educational tasks.
Staff in the "OtherGÇ¥ category include clerical workers, bus drivers, custodians, security workers, groundskeepers and more.
Administration includes nine principals, the superintendent, three executive directors, two assistant superintendents, several directors and others.
Enrollment
Enrollment has been decreasing in the last five years, from 7,675 in 2009-2010 to 6,935 this year. The district expects enrollment to start increasing again next year and the year after, at which point they project it will reach 7,139.
The "Other" category includes the district's many alternative programs.
Where money comes from
Included in the state allocations are funds for general purpose spending and funds for special purposes. General purpose funding dropped between 2009-10 and 2012-13 from $39 million to just under $37 million. This year, the state increased its general purpose funding to $39.66 million. Special purpose funding has increased gradually each year, from $6.8 million in 2009-10 to $8.59 million this year.
Federal money comes in general purpose and special purpose, too. Both have declined in the last five years. General purpose money fell from $4.5 million in 2009-10 to $2.6 million this year. Special purpose money dropped from $59,000 to $25,000.
The district is collecting slightly less in property tax this year than last, from $14.34 million to $14.15 million. But that is still more than $2 million above what it collected in 2009-10.
How money is spent
Basic education is mostly teacher salary and benefits.
Other expenditures equaling less than two percent of the budget include tech support and a miscellaneous category.
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Expenditure per student
Expenditure per student equals the total spent from all sources, including federal, state and local.
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