SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A budget-balancing plan was approved by the San Francisco school board on Tuesday to avoid being taken over by that state.
This plan will work to stabilize the school district’s budget and meet the state’s deadline to address the ongoing structural deficit.
The “Proposed FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24 Budget Balancing Plan” includes:
- $90 million expenditure reductions
- $35 million funding sources for each fiscal year
“We are committed to continuing to work with the Board of Education, families, students and staff to develop a sustainable budget that prioritizes the most effective ways to increase and improve services for our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. “If revenue projections improve, the highest consideration for funding restoration will be given to school site budgets, direct services, and central office services that most support students.”
The school district was facing a structural deficit before the pandemic hit. According to school officials, during the 2021 to 2022 fiscal year, “one-time federal and state funding sources were used to address a $100 million budget deficit.”
In this process, the district categorized spending into three parts:
- Core Services
- Distric Priorities
- Service Enhancements
The goal is to scale back on service enhancements and work to configure Core and Priority services better.
In a press release from the school district, it reads:
“Funding for schools is based on the number and characteristics of students served. For the past three years, school site budgets have not decreased proportionally to the decrease in the number of students they serve. The Budget Balancing Plan revises the district’s funding allocation to account for the decline in student enrollment. The impacts of these changes will vary site to site.“
The plan will be submitted to the California Department of Public Education just in time for the Dec. 15 deadline.
For the full school district press release, tap this link.
