What Should Small Schools Expect?

During the 2009 budget fix in January of this year, small school districts (those defined as fewer than 600 students) were held harmless from the cuts. For the 2010 budget, it is being proposed that small school districts only receive 1/2 of the lump sum cuts being proposed. There are several reasons for this but the main reason is that small districts lack economies of scale with which to handle any cuts.

The 50% exemption will not apply to charter schools as their funding formula is different from districts. It has been proposed that they receive a reduction in funding per pupil instead, somewhere in the range of $75 per student.

As with all budget items discussed on this blog, it is important to remember two things. First, it is truly our desire to not have to make any cuts. The majority of legislators have children or grandchildren in public schools. The choices we make affect them too. Only because the deficit is so large is education even being considered for cuts. All state agencies and programs will take some level of cuts. Our goal is to minimize the impact and avoid long-term damage.

Second, please remember that any budget item has to be voted on by the Senate and House and then signed by the Governor. We are doing our best to share with you what we think will happen but we make no absolute guarantees.