More Budget Facts

After some reading, I wrote up a list of important things you guys should know about this year's budget.

·         FY 2012 Proposed Operating Budget

o   $2.163 billion, increase of $59.6 million or 2.8% from FY 2011 $2.104 billion

·         Revenue sources in FY 2011

o   Revenue from county: 67.3%

o   Revenue from state: 23.2%

o   Revenue from federal government: 5.7%

o   Other: 3.8%

·         Change in revenue sources in FY 2012

o   Revenue from county: $1.497 billion, up from $1.415 billion (69.2%)

o   Revenue from state: $516 million, up from $488.6 million (23.86%)

o   Revenue from federal government: $65.56 million, down from $119.06 million (3.03%)

§  Loss of almost $54 million in federal stimulus aid

o   Other: 3.91%

·         Enrollment increase

o   Officially, there are 144,064 students

o   Projected 2012 enrollment of 146,649 – an increase of 2,585 students

·         Expenditures

o   Instructional Programs: 80.5%

o   School Support: 14.6%

o   System-wide Support: 2.3%

o   Miscellaneous (including Food Service): 2.6%

·         Reductions and Savings

o   No across-the-board class size increase

·         Maintenance of Effort

o   State law requiring county to provide local funding at least equal to the same amount last year per student

o   FY 2012 requirement is $10,664 per student

o   MCPS received a MOE waiver last year

o   County Council is the school system’s funding body – the BOE can’t tax

o   This year’s MOE requirement is $1.497 billion

o   If the County Council does not fund us at MOE, we face a penalty of up to $27 million in loss of increased state aid

·         Dr. Weast’s Recommended Budget – not definite

·         The Board of Education is holding Public Hearings on the budget on January 12^th and 19^th, 2011