FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002
For the 2002-03 budget, the Madison Metropolitan School District projects that it will have to cut $7.25 million from the amount it would take to provide the same services as the current year.
At tonight's Board meeting, Superintendent Art Rainwater recommended to the Board the broad areas from which the cuts to the base budget would come in order to reach the $7.25 million trimming for next year:
Administrative Operations $2,500,000
Schools
Special Education $1,500,000
School-based Staffing Allocations $1,300,000
Resources Integrated for Success & Equity (RISE) $1,300,000
District-wide Programs $ 650,000
Total $7,250,000
These required cuts do not account for any possible reduced funding as a result of the state budget deficit. The Governor's proposed budget repair bill keeps K-12 education funding the same.
This announcement comes on the same day that the District and the Board of Education received a functional analysis which identifies possible budget reductions which are necessary to meet the state revenue cap.
The functional analysis lists a menu of over 30 allocation and budget decision items for consideration and provides a tool to analyze the impacts of the potential reductions. It also provides the foundation for future District efforts in budget management.
"It should be noted that the functional analysis provides options for reductions and their impacts," said Rainwater. "It is a valuable tool that says 'Here's a place to look, here's the impact, and here are some other ways you can save money.' It's up to the Board to decide whether the savings outweigh the impact of potential cuts."
Overall, a range of $12.7 million to $21.7 million in budget reductions has been identified. The analysis, which was completed by Virchow, Krause and Company, LLP under a contract with the District, builds upon the fact that the District spends just over $1,400 more per student (16%) than similarly-sized districts in Wisconsin.
On the positive side, the analysis also shows that the District has many instances where a reduction in service delivery level or modification to the budgetary allocation process can preserve the program or function at a meaningful level.
The District administration will now use the analysis and other tools and considerations to prepare a budget to present to the Board on May 6.
The functional analysis will be available on the District's web site (http://www.mmsd.org/) on Tuesday, March 12. Hard copies will be available in the main office of each school beginning on Friday, March 15.
Public Information Office
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-663-1879
email: newsrelease@madison.k12.wi.us
Last Modified: 2002-03-12
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