MUSD board members say spending should stay in classroom

Some school board members would like next year’s budget to contain more spending related to the classroom, such as hiring teachers, and proportionally less funding of out-of-classroom items, such as capital projects.

Members of the Maricopa Unified School District governing board expressed these concerns during a meeting Wednesday evening.  

They discussed a budget committee’s recommendations for spending an additional $2.3 million in revenue the state will pay the district next school year to operate its six public charter schools.

The issue of where to concentrate funding was not discussed at this meeting, but the board will have to pass a complete budget in the next few months that will cover this issue.

Steve Chestnut, district superintendent of schools, opened the budget discussion by saying the district had calculated its charter school share to be $2.7 million, but found out early this week the amount would be $2.3 million.

***ADVERTISEMENT*** Board member AnnaMarie Knorr said the state’soriginal funding projection did not calculate all students enrolled in charter schools statewide.

The budget committee recommended making up for the difference from its previous recommendations by reducing the reserve fund by $973,000 to $673,000 and cutting district-wide technology from $300,000 to $200,000.

The district decided this year to convert six of its nine schools to public charters for the 2014-2015 school year. The state provides additional funding for public charters.

In addition to the $2.3 million, the budget committee also looked at how to spend an additional $425,000 – funding related to an education-focused ballot measure approved by voters in 2000.

The committee was formed only to look at the $2.725 million – not the entire budget, which Chestnut expects to total more than $35 million.

During the discussion, which was basically about larger budget issues, Knorr said in 2013 MUSD spent $3,166 per pupil in classrooms and $3,516 per pupil on out-of-classroom-related expenses, according to the state Auditor General’s report on the district.

“Given our situation now” that the Legislature has reduced charter school funding, the board might want to consider more carefully what it spends next year on capital projects, she said. 

“Do we need capital projects more than we need teachers in the classroom?” Knorr asked.

Board member Scott Bartle said Knorr raises a valid point. Bartle said the district should look at the expense line items closely in the upcoming school year to ensure it can afford to spend more in the classrooms.

Bartle is publisher of InMaricopa.com.