The school district’s budget includes bond funds and new revenue estimates from Oregon Department of Education

The Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) Budget Committee tonight moved to recommend a budget totaling $1,147,797,142. The budget includes bond funds from the May 15 voter-approved ballot measure and new revenue estimates from the Oregon Department of Education. Because the proposed budget sustains operations in the second year of the biennium, the impacts to staffing are not as pronounced as the previous year’s budget.

The budget was developed with four guiding priorities:

  • Investing in behavioral learning
  • Providing funding to implement an elementary math curriculum
  • Stabilizing staffing and resources to grow the graduation rate
  • Investing in student health and special education caseloads

“This budget includes amendments that will positively impact education for our students,” said Superintendent Christy Perry. “Thanks to the support from our community on the bond, we’ll be able to provide space for our educators and students to thrive. With these additional revenues, we’ll also be able to provide stronger educational support services.”

Updated from the original budget proposal given on April 24, this approved budget also includes:

  • Two full-time nurses
  • Four full-time counselors
  • 3.75 full-time employees in the behavior cadre
  • $1 million in additional funding for the elementary math curriculum
  • $424 million in the 2018 Bond Capital Fund

The budget as it was presented included $250,038 for school-based health assistants. The Budget Committee voted to move an additional $150,000 from the contingency to school-based health assistants for a total of $400,038.

These additions come on top of those in the April 24 budget:

  • $3.55 million transfer to the asset replacement fund for math curriculum
  • 6.5 full-time employees for the Office of Behavioral Learning behavior cadre
  • .52 full-time employee increase for counseling staff
  • Adjusted compensation ranges for our most highly trained classified staff working with students who have behavioral challenges in our most restrictive environments
    Two additional full-time nurses
  • Two full-time employees for Learning Resource Center teachers, 1.88 instructional assistants, and .4 full-time speech and language pathologists
  • 1.9 full-time licensed teachers in the English Learner programs

Next step for the approved budget: the SKPS Board of Directors will vote on budget adoption on June 12 at 6 p.m.

To view the full budget, click here.

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Information Below Was Posted: May 23, 2018

The proposed budget adds resources for math curriculum, behavior cadre

Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) released its $691 million proposed budget tonight at its Budget Committee Meeting. Because the proposed budget sustains operations in the second year of the biennium, the impacts to staffing are not as pronounced as the previous year’s budget.

The proposed budget was developed with four guiding priorities:

  • Investing in behavioral learning
  • Providing funding to implement an elementary math curriculum
  • Stabilizing staffing and resources to grow the graduation rate
  • Investing in student health and special education caseloads

“We believe this one-time investment in the infrastructure of our math curriculum will pay big dividends in our students’ educational success,” said Superintendent Christy Perry. “We’ve seen significant gains made by children in our pilot schools with the math curriculum, particularly among students with special needs or who are English language learners. We’re excited about spurring similar growth across the district.”

Totaling $691,458,464, the proposed budget includes:

  • $3.55 million transfer to the asset replacement fund for math curriculum
  • 6.5 full-time employees for the Office of Behavioral Learning behavior cadre
  • .52 full-time employee increase for counseling staff
  • Adjusted compensation ranges for our most highly trained classified staff working with students who have behavioral challenges in our most restrictive environments
  • Two additional full-time nurses
  • Two full-time employees for Learning Resource Center teachers, 1.88 instructional assistants, and .4 full-time speech and language pathologists
  • 1.9 full-time licensed teachers in the English Learner programs

The proposed budget also includes an additional $475,000 for increased costs related to the Oregon Activities Association’s ruling that places five SKPS school in an athletic classification with Bend-La Pine.

Additional shifts in resources include:

  • Realignment of class sizes across the district, opening four full-time elementary licensed classroom positions
  • Reduction of 12.94 full-time positions as a result of a decrease in students eligible for English Learner services
  • Removal of five vacant positions in English language development that were added in a previous budget
  • Removal of three vacant drug and alcohol counselor positions
  • Reductions to professional development by $50,000, Response to Intervention support by $157,000 and secondary STEM materials by $25,000

Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) accounts for seven percent of the proposed budget, or approximately $35 million. The budget also includes special revenue funds, capital projects, general obligation debt service, capital projects, internal service and debt funds.

The proposed budget does not include the $619.7 million bond measure included on the May 15 ballot. If the bond measure is approved by voters, the budget will be updated to reflect the additional capital construction funds. Bond measure dollars cannot be used for the general fund, including salaries, supplies and general operations.

Next steps for the proposed budget:

  • May 8, 2018 (7 p.m.): Budget Committee Meeting with public testimony
  • May 15, 2018 (5:30 p.m.): Budget Committee Meeting – if needed
  • May 21-22, 2018: Budget Committee Meeting – if needed, public comment taken
  • May 23-24, 2018: Budget Committee Meeting – if needed, public comment optional
  • If the budget is not recommended by May 24, additional meetings may be necessary
  • June 12, 2018 (6 p.m.): SKPS Board of Directors vote on budget adoption