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Dear MCS Parents and Supporters:
The development of the
Marietta City Schools (MCS) maintenance and
operations budget, generally referred to as the
general fund budget, begins in January of each
year and ends with the adoption of the budget in
June by the Board
of Education of the City of Marietta. The
tentatively adopted MCS FY12
general fund budget as submitted for the
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011 balances
revenues and expenses at $74.5 million, compared
to FY2011's amended budget of $77.6 million, a
decrease of 4 percent, or $3.1 million.
The $18.3 billion state
budget recently signed (May 17, 2011) by Governor
Nathan Deal for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
2011, vetoed about $42 million worth of proposed
college construction projects. The governor’s
budget contains no cost-of-living raises for
teachers and state employees and cuts university
system funding. K-12 education funding is expected
to be about the same as it was this year, with
another 1 percent reduction for MCS.
Thanks to our focused and
conservative budgeting we will maintain our
instructional programs even with state funding
reductions, local revenue declines, and continued
national economic instability. Our proposed FY12
general fund budget will maintain a strong
educational program for our students consistent
with the current MCS Strategic Plan, Charter
System goals, and focus on continuous
improvement.
The proposed budget will
provide class sizes that are better allotted than
the teacher: pupil ratios statewide in grades
K-12, without additional increases to class size
allotments. In addition, for the tenth year
running, we will not have to increase the local
maintenance and operations (M&O) millage.
Marietta continues to have one of the lowest
millage rates for M&O in the Metro-Atlanta
area (10th year at 17.97). We will also maintain
areas of paraprofessional support which surpass
most other districts, and our employees will
benefit from the continued system contribution of
$40 for State Health Insurance, and we have no
furlough days proposed in this budget.
MCS FY12 general
fund includes increased expenditures
for:
- Potential
personnel growth; funds for Iowa national
norm-referenced testing grades 1-8; Support for
safety and discipline; and Increased clerical
hours at the PLC to support program
growth.
MCS FY12 general
fund includes reduced expenditures
from:
- Expanded
contractual custodial services; further
consolidation of bus routes; consolidation of
the two Ombudsman locations; and, reduction in
Food Service warehouse personnel.
While we estimate a
revenue shortfall of approximately $3.4M in the
FY12 general fund budget, we plan to use reserve
funds to close this gap. The use of reserves still
allows us to maintain two months of operating
expenses in undesignated reserve. If the revenue
situation were to worsen (local tax digest revenue
remains a concern), the board may elect to
consider more expenditure reductions and/or use
additional reserves. The proposed budget is
predicated on a revenue reduction of 8
percent.
However, it may also be
that the local tax digest revenues could be better
than expected, in which case we may not have to
make any additional reductions and/or use of
reserves. At which point, should anticipated
revenues exceed projected expenditures, the board
may choose to use this excess for employee
compensation or approve transfers to the
Technology and/or Building Fund to be used for
future needs. In either case, we must continue to
be proactive in monitoring our budget, pending
legislation, and state and local revenue
collections carefully throughout the
year.
As stated previously, the
Board of Education of the City of Marietta must
approve the MCS FY12
general fund budget by June 30, 2011. Our next
scheduled board meeting is June 21 at 7 p.m. at
which time the board will vote to adopt the FY12
general fund budget. There is a public hearing
scheduled prior to the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
regarding the proposed budget.
Although the school year
is coming to an end, our attention is on aligning
our budget to ensure that we deliver on our
mission “to prepare each of our students through
academic achievement for life success.” We will do
this by continuing to provide curriculum and
programs that meet and effectively serve the
educational needs of all students.
Classes at Marietta City
Schools begin August 11. As we prepare for the new
school year ahead, let us pause and enjoy the
summer break. As usual, I will continue to
communicate as new information becomes available.
Have a safe and pleasant summer!
Sincerely,
Dr.
Emily Lembeck
Superintendent
Marietta
City Schools
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