Why is the budget going up even though enrollment is declining?
The budget continues to rise despite declining enrollment for these reasons: The Portland Public Schools is committed to assuring that all students are learning for their futures. Some of todays students come to school with significant needs that must be met in order to ensure their learning. Meeting those needs requires additional resources. Federal and state mandates (NCLB) often come with no additional state or federal funding putting pressure on local school budgets, There are fixed costs with the Portland Public Schools (i.e. building maintenance) that do not decrease based upon enrollment. The total increase on the taxpayer is less than the inflation rate. The fiscal year 2009 budget includes $600,000 to repay half of the money borrowed from the city last year due to a budget shortfall. The budget also includes a one-time expense of $500,000 to change the way that teacher salaries are accrued.
