Last month, the Alexandria City School Board voted to approve the Combined Funds Budget for fiscal year (FY) 2019. So, What does this mean for you?
Support for Growing and Changing Student Enrollment
Student enrollment continues to grow. FY 2019 enrollment is projected to increase by 2.5 percent or 388 students, bringing our total number of students to 15,928. The FY 2019 School-Board Adopted Budget allocates an additional $3.9 million to cover the cost of additional teachers and instructional support personnel needed at all grade levels to support our growing enrollment.
The result is 64 enrollment-driven staff changes, including new positions at the new Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School and the new Early Childhood Center. It also includes staff to address our changing student population, which includes more English learners, students receiving specialized instruction and students receiving free and reduced-price meals.
Support in Our Classrooms and our Buildings
Funding has been allocated for new textbooks for elementary reading programs to align the texts with the most current Virginia Department of Education SOL revisions and to provide replacement texts. A long-term replacement schedule is being developed to address remaining textbook needs.
Funding has also been allocated to address critical HVAC maintenance in certain school buildings.
These additional funds directly support our students, staff and our schools.
A Step Increase for Eligible Staff
In order to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers, we must offer compensation that is competitive with our surrounding school divisions. The FY 2019 School-Board Adopted Budget plans for a full step increase at the beginning of the contract year for eligible staff and an adjustment to salary scales that adds an additional step at the top of each salary scale.
This keeps us in step with our counterparts in Arlington and Fairfax, who are also providing a full step increase to eligible staff.
Increased Healthcare Costs
Also factored into the budget are projected increases in health care costs next year. Depending on the health plan in which one is enrolled, ACPS expects to see an estimated increase in health care benefits cost of $4.7 million. For most employees, 80 percent will be absorbed by ACPS, while 20 percent will be passed along to employees in the form of payroll deductions.
Targeted Reductions
The budget also reflects targeted reductions:
- All Central Office departments, with the exception of educational facilities, reduced their non-personnel budgets by at least 5 percent ($0.5 million).
- The $176,000 Partners in Education (PIE) grant will be discontinued next year.
- Overtime has been reduced in the area of pupil transportation by $250,000.
The Approved Combined Funds Budget, which includes the Operating Fund, Grants and Special Projects Fund and the School Nutrition Fund will go before the City at a public hearing on March 12 at 4 p.m. at City Hall.