IGHPS: Impacts On ISD 199's 2022-2023 Budget

Inver Grove Heights MN

01 May, 2022

7:27 PM

Description

Press release from Inver Grove Heights Public Schools: April 26, 2022 Si prefiere ver esta página en español, haga clic en "Language" en la barra de "Admin" en la parte superior de esta página y seleccione "Spanish." Inver Grove Heights Schools is facing a budget deficit for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. There are a number of considerations for next year's budget, including right-sizing and enrollment, temporary funds related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and decreased and continuing needs related to the pandemic and its side effects. Right-sizing & Enrollment Like most school districts, ISD 199 goes through the process of right-sizing every year. Right-sizing increases, decreases, or maintains staffing to align with enrollment for the upcoming school year. The process allows the district to stay within its budget parameters because, in a typical year, most of the district's funding comes from enrollments. This year's right-sizing process helped alleviate $571,000 of the adjustment needed in next year's budget because there are projected to be fewer enrollments in the upcoming 2022-2023. Recently, enrollment decreases have been tied to fewer children being born in Inver Grove Heights over the last several years rather than students attending other districts. This trend of lower birth rates can be seen throughout the U.S. and around the world, affecting enrollment, staffing, and funding at schools everywhere. Without right-sizing for decreased enrollments, the district's budget deficit for next school year would be about $1 million. After right-sizing, the district will need to adjust for a $429,000 deficit in next school year's budget. The district's goal is to make adjustments to programs, positions, and operations while continuing to serve the needs of students. Temporary Funds Related to COVID-19 Like schools across the country, ISD 199 has received temporary federal and state funds over the last few years to help offset some additional expenses that have been necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. These temporary funds have helped the district purchase protective supplies and equipment, provide testing, perform contact tracing, and increase cleaning procedures to operate more safely during the pandemic. The funds have also helped schools address unfinished learning, sometimes called "learning loss," and the increased social emotional, mental, and behavioral health needs of students. Some expenses that were necessary during earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer needed and have been removed from the 2022-2023 budget. However, ISD 199 is seeing that many students still need some of the programs and positions that were created during the pandemic. The district's task for the 2022-2023 school year budget is to adjust the programs and positions that are still needed so that they fit within the budget for as long as students still need them. Adjusting 199 Online After surveying families about their interest in 199 Online for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, very few families showed interest in enrolling in full-time online learning through 199 Online Elementary School or 199 Online Middle School. As a result, 199 Online will not be offered for students in kindergarten through eighth grade next school year. Current 199 Online Elementary School and 199 Online Middle School students will return to in-person learning next school year, 2022-2023. However, online classes will continue to be available to Simley High School students, grades 9-12, as part of college and career readiness. Since the shutdowns caused by the pandemic, fully online college classes and fully remote jobs are even more common. Offering online high school classes will help Simley students build the skills they need for those opportunities and support students who need flexibility for learning time, pace, and place. Simley students may be able to take a fully online course load if all of the classes they need are offered online. Looking Ahead The district is working to find solutions to eliminate the budget deficit of $429,000 for next school year, 2022-2023. The district is reviewing what funds are available and what positions and operations can be adjusted. As it is each year, ISD 199's primary goal is to create a budget that will be sustainable long-term while continuing the services that students need, now considering the lingering effects of the pandemic. Adoption of the 2022-2023 budget is scheduled for June. This press release was produced by Inver Grove Heights Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.