For William Smith High School senior Daegan Macias, it’s not about the $31 million budget shortfall Aurora Public Schools is facing for 2017-18. For him, it’s about the proposed $2.7 million APS is thinking of taking away from pilot and innovation schools, including William Smith High School, in an effort to curtail district spending.
“Our school is good and anybody… will tell you about the great impact it’s had on their lives and how it helped them become a good person,” Macias said. “We don’t want to see our school lose anything else that makes it the amazing school it already is.”
Still, APS Superintendent Rico Munn said the belt must tighten.
“These are difficult choices and we’re trying to engage the community, and part of that choice is between some difficult options.”
How did APS get here?
For the last 10 years APS has had an annual 2.5 percent increase in student enrollment. Last year challenged this growth assumption, with the student population declining by about 700 students, forcing the district to make small cuts and to use $8.2 million from their fund balance, or what they call their “short-term savings account.” Essentially, that’s money left over after the district has paid its bills.
The district is currently seeking long-term solutions through a “budget redesign” for what they believe is a trending decline in student population by developing a 2017-2018 general fund budget of about $319 million. That’s a change from the 2016-17 budget of approximately $350 million, requiring the more than $30 million in cuts.
“We’re trying to make sure the community understands … we’ve had some fundamental shifts in the economics of the district, that we have to redesign our system to address this,” Munn said.
APS, along with other state districts, is also expecting a decrease in state funding due to the “negative factor.” Per Great Education Colorado, the Colorado legislature in 2009 added a new “budget stabilization” or negative factor to the School Finance Act formula, which has led to districts receiving per-pupil-funding every year that is less than what they actually need.
And though voters approved a $300 million bond issue for APS in November, those funds are a different pot of money from the general fund budget and don’t affect the shortfall.
Possible scenarios
APS is weighing a long list of options for next year’s budget. Among them are cutting budgets for pilot and innovation schools; closing three high school swimming pools; eliminating full-day kindergarten; getting rid of sports in P-8, K-8 and middle schools; and getting rid of the International Baccalaureate Program. There are some proposed cuts that appear in each scenario, no matter what, such as across-the-board administrative cuts, renegotiating health benefits for staff, and reducing funding for pilot and innovation schools.
Those, among other ideas, have been laid out in four possible scenarios to give students, teachers and parents an idea of what’s to come.
Difficult choices
The proposed cuts have left some, including Mecias, concerned about the future of APS. The Aurora senior attended the last budget redesign meeting with some William Smith peers and teachers to try to pursuade against the cuts.
“We heard there was going to be this $2.7 million cut to pilot and innovation schools and we’re one of those. Meanwhile, there’s about a $30 million cut so that’s about a 10 percent cut from just those schools,” Mecias said.
Munn said such decisions are tough for those promoting success.
“You don’t take this job without loving kids,” he said. “That’s what I’m passionate about and that’s why I’m here.”