FY10 Operating Budget Update

Have questions about the FY10 Operating Budget? Send your questions to bsmith@ycsd.york.va.us. FAQ postings will help answer the questions that you have during the School Board's budget development. (Names will not be published.) Click here to view the Frequently Asked Questions.

Click here to view the FY10 Superintendent Proposed Budget

June 23, 2009: The School Board approved fund VIB expenditures at their regular monthly meeting. For an explanation of the allocations of these federal dollars, watch Dennis Jarrett, CFO, provide a brief explanation.

Fund VIB Budget Worksheets
VIB Revenue
Allocation of One-Half of Federal VIB Funds
Projects Possible due to VIB Funds

June 11, 2009: At their June 8 Work Session, the School Board reviewed proposed allocations for Title VIB Stimulus Grant Program funds. The Board is scheduled to vote on these allocations at their June 22 Regular School Board Meeting.

April 29, 2009: At their April 27 work session, the School Board discussed allocations of federal stimulus dollars. Through a combination of supplanting local budget funds with stimulus funds and identifying items to fund through stimulus dollars the Board tentatively identified $4,169,407 in expenditures. For an explanation of how the funds were allocated, watch this presentation by Dennis Jarrett. A summary of the proposed expenditures as well as a detailed report are also available for review.

The Board is scheduled to vote on the allocations at their May 18, 2009, meeting.

Additional stimulus funds are available to the school division for special education and other initiatives. The school board will discuss the allocation of VIB (known as six-b funds) at a future meeting.

March 24, 2009: At their March 23 regular meeting, the School Board approved the FY10 Operating Budget. This budget includes several adjustments from the superintendent's proposed budget, but it does not include federal stimulus funds that will be made available to the school division. Since specific requirements relating to the expenditure of these funds have not been finalized at this time, the board determined it would delay decisions relating to the funds until additional information is available. The board expects to be able to make determinations relating to these funds in April.

Feb. 13, 2009: Superintendent releases the FY10 Superintendent Proposed Budget

March 5, 2009: The York County School Division has received preliminary information from the Commonwealth of Virginia that we will be provided funds from the federal "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009", often referred to as the Economic Stimulus Act. It is anticipated that several million dollars could be received, including funding to support special education. The exact amount and the requirements for spending these funds are unknown at this time.

Hopefully, we will receive official notification within the next several weeks of the exact amount of funds available per school division, as well as the specific requirements relating to expenditure of these funds.

The Economic Stimulus Funds are scheduled to be available for only two years. Consequently, the Superintendent will recommend that the School Board exercise caution allocating these funds between recurring (on-going operating) costs and non-recurring (one-time) costs.

We will update this information as more data becomes available.

January 27, 2009: At the Jan. 26 School Board Work Session, Eric Williams, Ed.D., superintendent, provided the Board with information about an additional $300,000 in cuts that he is recommending in his preliminary operating budget. Video of the presentation provides details about the proposed cuts.

Updated Detailed FY10 Revenue Projections & Preliminary Budget Recommendations

Presentation to Board of Supervisors at Joint Work Session

January 13, 2009: At the Jan. 12 School Board Work Session, Superintendent Eric Williams and Chief Financial Officer Dennis Jarrett presented revenue information and preliminary recommendations for the FY10 Operating Budget. For detailed revenue information, view video of Mr. Jarrett's presentation. For an overview of preliminary recommendations made by the superintendent, view this video of Dr. Williams.

Detailed FY10 Revenue Projections & Preliminary Budget Recommendations

Please note that $300,000 in cuts must still be found to meet current revenue projections based on the governor's proposed state budget and the limited revenue information currently available from York County. Information presented in the linked videos and documents is preliminary and is subject to change.

The Superintendent will release his proposed budget in mid-February. The School Board will approve a budget in late March.

Dec. 18, 2008: The Governor released his Proposed FY 2010 budget for K-12 education yesterday, and it reflects an across the state reduction of approximately $400 million as compared to the current funding. For the York County School Division the reduction in state revenue is approximately $4 million or 6%. This is a significant reduction in state funding that will impact operational and instructional programs and services in the York County School Division. The General Assembly will be considering the Governor's proposal during the 2009 session when it convenes on Jan. 14, 2009. The School Board will be meeting in work sessions in January and February to review specific expenditure reductions to deal with the projected state revenue shortfall.

Dec. 17, 2008: Governor Kaine released his proposed FY10 Budget today. To see the document: http://dpb.virginia.gov/budget/buddoc09/index.cfm Next up: The General Assembly will meet and develop their own state budget. They are scheduled to convene on Jan. 14, 2009, and adjourn on March 4, 2009.

Dec. 15, 2008: Superintendent’s Remarks at School Board’s Regular Meeting:

Across the country, school divisions are preparing budgets for next school year in a difficult fiscal situation. In Virginia, state revenue is down significantly and school divisions are starting to feel the pinch of local revenue shortfalls. In York County, the county administrator is projecting flat revenue.

Governor Kaine is scheduled to release his proposed FY10 budget this Wednesday, Dec. 17. Many observers anticipate that state funding for K-12 public education will be cut between 5 and 15 percent for next school year. For the York County School Division, this would constitute a reduction in state funding of $1.75 to $7.25 million dollars.

Every effort will be made to protect excellent teaching and learning. Efficient and effective operations are as important as ever during these tough economic times. We will work diligently to make the best budget decisions possible, given fiscal limitations. Examples of likely expenditure reductions include, in alphabetical order, the following areas: central office staff; contractual services for instruction and operations; custodial/maintenance/technology staff; equipment/bus purchases; para-educators; staff development; teachers; technology refurbishment; and textbook/ supply purchases.

The School Board will hold a public forum on the FY10 Operating Budget on Jan. 26, 2009, and a public hearing on the FY10 Operating Budget on Feb. 23, 2009. The forum and hearing will be held during the regularly scheduled board meetings which start at 7 p.m. at York Hall.

Thank you for your patience during this budget process.

Dec. 8, 2008: At the School Board's Work Session, Dennis Jarrett, Chief Financial officer, updated the School Board regarding the budget outlook for Fiscal Year 2010. Click here to view a video of Mr. Jarrett's presentation.

Nov. 24, 2008: At the School Board's Regular Meeting, the Superintendent made the following remarks:
"It has been widely reported by the Governor's Office that the state is dealing with a revenue shortfall due to economic conditions for both FY09 (the current fiscal year) and the upcoming fiscal year, FY10. The state revenue shortfall will be at least $2.5 billion and could be well over $3 billion for the biennium. The Governor has indicated that he will recommend to the General Assembly that state funding for school divisions not be reduced in FY09. However, if the Governor's proposed use of funds from the revenue stabilization fund is not approved by the General Assembly, there could still be a significant reduction in state funding for school divisions this fiscal year.

"The school division has already taken steps to freeze more than $2.5 million in expenditures in this fiscal year in order to prepare for possible reductions. Given the uncertainty surrounding FY09 funding, the school division will not be making the budgeted $525 one-time payment to licensed staff at this time. A final decision on that payment will be made once the school division has a clear picture of the status of all revenue sources.

"The Governor has put all school divisions on notice that we will share in the revenue shortfall in FY10. The full extent of the reduction in state funding is not yet known, but Gov. Kaine has indicated that it will be significant.

"To put this in perspective, if state funding for the York County School Division is reduced by 10 percent, that equates to a $5.5 million reduction. A reduction at that level or even well below that level will have a significant impact on operations, instructional programs and services offered in the school division. It could result in an increase in student/teacher ratios, a decrease in instructional programs offered to students, and/or a decrease in the level of staff at the central office and in operations. These are just of few of the areas that could be affected with a significant state revenue reduction.

"It is anticipated that the Governor will release his budget proposal in late December, and we will work to keep the school community apprised of the funding situation as more information becomes available."