Our School District seems to find itself in such a woeful financial situation that it has had to follow the state Legislature’s suggested lead and move once restricted funds out of various student-oriented programs and put them into the General Fund.
One must remember that this fiscal advice comes from the same state Legislature whose inaction keeps our public schools in the worst, most precarious financial situation in our generation’s memory, and with no end in sight.
This state Legislature-allowed intra-district borrowing shifts a total of almost $500K from various funds to the less-restrictive, more freely-spent General Fund.
Since these restricted funds are being “borrowed” with fewer than 120 days left in this school year, the District doesn’t have to repay this money back into the original funds until sometime in 2014.
From a District observer’s perspective, once that “borrowed” money is blended into General Fund, it is nearly impossible to follow how it is actually spent.
One of the first things you learn if you start looking at School District finances is that 80 percent to 85 percent of all the General Funding goes to pay District employees’ salaries and benefits. The state legislature has shorted our School District with annual budget cuts and deferrals for so long, it would not surprise me if our District had to transfer these funds into the General Fund to cover a shortfall in District employee compensation.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
