Schools

Francis Howell Board Approves Revised Budget

Total revenues are expected to be $202.3 million while expenditures will be $221.5 million.

The Francis Howell School Board approved a revised budget for the 2011-12 school year on Thursday.

This revised budget reflects changes in the amount of money the district will receive from state and federal sources, as well as some changes in spending.

The district will receive nearly $1 million less from the state and about $200,000 less from the federal sources than anticipated when the budget was first approved.

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Local and county tax revenue is higher than expected, however, so the total revenues for the general and special funds are expected to decrease by just $65,000 to $168 milllion.

The district also made some changes to expected expenditures, hiring new elementary instructional paraprofessionals, and increasing the amount of time staff members who serve as department chairs have to plan.

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The district expects to spend more on electric and vehicle gas, and will have to pay transportation costs associated with offering more children the option to attend a different school because some schools failed to show enough growth on state tests in math and reading.

"Even as we become more efficient our costs don't decline significantly," said Chief Financial Officer Kevin Supple. "A large portion of the increase was related to an increase in the budget for expenditures of electricity."

Supple said he expects the district to have a shortage in cash-flow around December, but said by delaying payment on major bills by a few days, the district should be able to make the Dec. 10 payroll.


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