• The ever elusive budget
• Stimulus funds
• Facilities Master Plan Community Meetings
• 2009 Key Communicator Survey
• Jeffco Schools recognized for budget excellence
• Board of Education Meetings
• Archive of past issues

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The ever elusive budget

Putting together a balanced budget for 2009-2010 for Jeffco Public Schools is like a juggling act with most of the balls still up in the air. Board of Education members fanned out across the county in January to get feedback on proposed budget cuts. Since then, Jeffco’s budget office has calculated and recalculated the revenue numbers from the state, which have changed frequently. The goal is to have a balanced budget that supports student achievement. Members of the Board of Education have the following priorities for the use of budget dollars

• Keep primary grade class sizes as small as possible
• Fund the increase in Jeffco’s graduation requirements
• Fund efforts to prevent students from dropping out of school
• The expansion of Warren Tech so more students can receive vocational education
• Professional development of teachers
• Monitoring systems that will track student progress

The district is cutting at least $12 million from the 2009-2010 budget. It’s estimated that 121 positions will be reduced. Those jobs include administrators, teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and support jobs like business services, information technology and maintenance. To read a complete list of the proposed reductions, please visit www.jeffcopublicschools.org/finance.

“We are hoping that the majority of job reductions will be through retirement and attrition, but it is possible that some Jeffco employees will be losing their jobs at the end of this school year,” said Lorie Gillis, Jeffco’s Chief Financial Officer.

“The majority of our general fund dollars (85.26 percent) go toward supporting our schools; that includes teachers, principals, transportation, and special education. A little over 10 percent goes toward school support and that includes the Department of Learning and Educational Achievement, Special Student Services, Athletics and Activities, Field Services, Property Management and Community Superintendents. Only 4.17 percent of our budget is spent on administration which is low for the size of our organization. I worry about us being under-managed, rather than over-managed,” said Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent, Cindy Stevenson.

It’s hoped that federal stimulus money coming to Jeffco could help ease the budget crunch for next year but it’s one time money that can’t be sustained beyond two years (see the stimulus story, also in the Key Communique). Public hearings on the proposed budget will be held in May and the final budget is expected to be adopted by the Board of Education in June. Keep watching the Jeffco Public Schools home Web page – www.jeffcopublicschools.org – for budget updates.

What budget questions do you have?

Stimulus funds

The question everyone wants to know is how much money will Jeffco Public Schools be getting from the stimulus funds?
We still have not heard exact numbers from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), however we believe the amount will be approximately $23,647,000 over two years.  The money will be allocated to two pots; Title I Part A and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or special education. 

How does Jeffco plan to spend the stimulus money?
With the stimulus money, the district will save and create jobs, increase teacher training, provide materials for classrooms, and create a more efficient organization.   

How will the stimulus dollars benefit my children?
Stimulus dollars will improve instruction and benefit all children in Title I schools or district-wide IDEA programs in several ways:

• Ongoing professional development for teachers and principals,
• provide instructional coaches to help build teacher capacity, and
• provide intervention materials
• decrease class sizes strategically

Does this mean that Jeffco is now ok when it comes to money?
No. Stimulus funds are one-time dollars.  Jeffco can use the stimulus money to make short-term improvements but we will not be able to sustain the expenditures beyond the two year allocations.

Why do stimulus dollars only go for special education and Title I?
The U.S. Department of Education determined that the stimulus money would be tied to IDEA and Title I guidelines.  Title I funds support schools in poverty that typically do not meet reading and math standards.  CDE must review and approve Jeffco’s plan on how to spend the stimulus money.

How are stimulus funds going to be used for retention or creation of jobs? 
Jeffco Title I schools can opt to hire back teachers they have lost due to lay-offs or hire new positions that they normally wouldn’t have, keeping in mind that after two years the funding would end and would have to be sustained through Jeffco funds.

The IDEA funds could be used to slow down and phase the special education staff reduction effort over a three year period.  Special education is currently reducing staff in an effort to right-size the program based on population changes within the district.  We are also striving to strategically decrease some class sizes in primary grades and expand full day kindergarten.

What other questions do you have about stimulus funds?

Facilities Master Plan Community Meetings

Jeffco Public Schools calls all community members and parents to attend one of four Community Meetings in May to learn about the district wide Facilities Master Plan process and to provide feedback. The purpose of the district wide Facilities Master Plan is two-fold: to support the JeffCo Strategic Plan and ensure

-facilities meet the needs of students & staff
- safe learning and working environments
- facilities are maintained, and to prepare for a long range Capital Improvement Plan to assess and determine:
• new school construction
• campus consolidation
• school by school renovation budgets
• alternative delivery strategies

2009 Key Communique survey

There are over 1,500 community leaders in the Jeffco Public Schools Key Communicator Network. As opinion leaders, the district depends on your voice to inform the community about important school district issues. We also need to hear from you about the effectiveness of this important communication program. Please take a few minutes and complete the online survey below. Thank you.

2009 Key Communique Survey

Crunching the numbers and staying on task has earned Jeffco’s Financial Services Department top awards. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) honored the department with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to signify the commitment of the department and staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

The GFOA guidelines require the department’s budget to serve as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device. Jeffco’s financial department rated proficient in all categories. The Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International also awarded the finance office with the Meritorius Budget Award, an awards program that helps school systems build a solid foundation in the skills of developing, analyzing and presenting a budget. The ASBO program is sponsored by ING and enables school business administrations to achieve excellence in budget presentation.

Upcoming Board of Education meetings

The Board of Education holds study/dialogue sessions (Seminar Room, 4th floor) and business meetings (Board Room, 5th floor) at the Educational Services Center, 1829 Denver West Drive, Bldg #27, Golden, unless otherwise noted.