AURORA | The Cherry Creek School District Board of Education this week unanimously approved a budget worth about $322.26 million for the 2012-13 school year, a total that keeps per-pupil funding at levels similar to last year.
The board voted on the 2012-13 budget during its regular meeting June 18, following a detailed presentation by Chief Financial Officer Guy Bellville. Though the budget for the coming school year represents an increase of about $3.46 million from the adjusted funding for the 2011-12 year, the district’s per-pupil funding ratio will remain largely static. That’s following the passage of the School Finance Act by the state Legislature in April, a bill that kept the state’s ratio flat at around $6,474.
“The bill generally provides for the same amount per pupil next year as they provided in the current year,” Bellville said. “There is no additional funding for school districts … There is just funding to provide for the new enrollment. You have the same services for those new students coming in.”
According to the district’s estimates, the district’s net per-pupil rate for the coming year would total $6,398. That’s less than the rate of $6,403 that every student received in the 2011-12 school year.
Before the vote on Monday, Cherry Creek Education Association President Sheryl Cunningham thanked the board for their work on a budget that, for the second year in a row, implements stiff pay freezes on staff across the district.
“We’ve looked at staffing changes, we’ve looked at program changes. It’s been difficult for everyone involved,” Cunningham said. “I would like to thank this board for their leadership and support throughout these difficult times.”
That financial pressure was a driving factor in the board’s decision last month to approve a bond election for the fall worth about $125 million in long-term debt. If approved by voters, the money would be used from 2013 to 2017 to address a menu of issues that Cherry Creek officials characterize as critical, including expanding the capacity of two high schools in Aurora.
For the Cherry Creek board, however, this week’s meeting was focused on keeping cuts away from the classroom for the coming year. That’s meant drawing on about $16.4 million of the district’s General Fund Reserves in order to balance the budget.
“It is a concern for all of us board members to utilize those reserves,” said Board Member David Willman before casting his vote for the budget.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com or 720-449-9707