School Board OKs $236M Budget for ACPS

Alexandria’s School Board on Thursday night approved the fiscal 2013 combined funds budget and the calendars for the upcoming school year.

The $215 million budget calls for a 3.3 percent increase in funding from the city over the FY12 levels.

In total, the combined expenditures budget for FY13 totals $235.8 million, which includes Food and Nutrition Services and state and federal grants along with the operating budget.

“This was a difficult budget, but we are proud of what we are able to achieve,” said Board Chairman Sheryl Gorsuch.

According to a statement from Alexandria City Public Schools, the “overriding priority guiding the budget process was to target all resources toward improving student achievement and closing achievement gaps.” To that end, the board said it worked to maintain small elementary class sizes, adjust staffing formulas to address projected increases in English Language Learners and special education students, broaden extending learning opportunities for all schools and more investments in teacher professional development.

The budget includes funds to establish the Family and Community Engagement (or FACE) sites offering supplementary learning activities for ACPS students and families. It also establishes a satellite high school campus for the Flexible and Extended Learning Opportunities program and redesigns adult education, a for the school system.

The significant cuts in personnel, some of which have been reinstated.

Several staff positions that have been added or reinstated include:

• 1.0 Full Time Employee (FTE) reading teacher formerly funded under Title I grant funds
• 2.0 FTE literacy/language acquisition specialists
• 5.5 FTEs in physical and occupational therapy
• 2.0 FTEs technology integration specialists (fully offset by a reduction in other, non-personnel spending)
• 1.0 FTE financial services employee (fully offset by a reduction in other, non-personnel spending)

Central office positions have been reduced by about 17 full-time employees.

The budget also restructures the intersession program and now calls it "extended learning session." The proposed budget would have cut the length of the extended learning session at these two schools from five weeks to three, but in response to the community the session will be four weeks under the new budget. A session will now cost $160 rather than the $25 under the previous budget for those students not eligible for a reduced-price lunch. The approved budget includes an amendment to allow for the fee schedule to be determined prior to the final budget adoption.

A Joint City Council/School Board work session scheduled for Feb. 29 will cover school budget topics. The final adoption of the FY13 budget is scheduled for the May 24 School Board meeting.

The FY12-13 calendars are available on the ACPS website.