Fayetteville School Board adopts new budget

FAYETTEVILLE -- Expenses for the School District are expected to total $121.4 million for the 2015-16 school year.

The School Board voted 6-0 Thursday to approve the spending plan, with the largest portions of the budget going toward the following: $42 million for teacher salaries, $39.9 million for operating expenses and $14.8 million for debt.

Fayetteville School District budget

• $97.6 million from state and local revenue

• 42 percent for instruction and administration

• 15 percent for debt

• 9 percent for operating and maintenance

• 7 percent for special education

• 5 percent for instructional support, curriculum

• 3 percent each for transportation, student support, counselors

• 2 percent for athletics

• About 1 percent each for central administration, district business offices, alternative education, gifted and talented programs, career and technical education, pre-kindergarten and adult education

Source: Fayetteville School District

The budget is a 6 percent increase from the 2014-15 budget of $118.9 million, with an expected increase in debt payments making up for most of the increase in overall spending.

Board member Traci Farrah said she thinks the budget puts the district in a good position for the school year. The district's Chief Financial Officer Kathy Hanlon has a good grasp on the district's finances, Farrah said. Hanlon has taken a close look both at salaries and benefits, which make up a majority of the district's overall spending, and smaller budget items, such as the copier contract.

"She's really changed things up," Farrah said. "I think we're really moving in a great direction."

The budget includes all categories of spending, including for federal programs, food service and building programs.

The budget for day-to-day operations supported by revenue from state and local taxes totals $97.6 million, about a 1 percent increase in spending from the $96.7 million spent last school year, according to budget document.

Board President Tim Hudson told the audience the board met for several hours last week to review the budget for the year. Efforts of Hanlon and Superintendent Paul Hewitt resulted in the district beginning the new budget year on July 1 with an operating balance of $12.1 million, up $1.4 million from what was budgeted.

The Fayetteville High School project finished on time and under budget at $96 million, Hudson said.

"We want what's happening in those classrooms to be the legacy of the building," Hudson said.

The leadership team put together a conservative budget for the new school year, Hudson said.

Hanlon said the budget for 2015-16 is a break-even budget, except for $900,000 budgeted for raises above what teachers normally would receive based on an additional year of experience and except for greater expenses that come from serving more students.

Hanlon has budgeted for growth of 50 students for the school year.

On Aug. 18, the first day of classes for all kindergarten through 12th-grade students in Fayetteville, the first-day head count was up to 9,373 students, compared with 9,252 who showed up on the first day last school year. Enrollment last school year was 9,503 students.

NW News on 08/28/2015

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