\u201cThe budget is not in good shape, but it\u2019s not our fault,\u201d said Superintendent Alex Carter. \u201cWe\u2019re simply not funded appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The projected $750,000 shortfall is a worst-case scenario, Carter said. At the end of the year, any remaining line-item appropriations would be transferred back to the general fund to help offset the deficit, possibly reducing it to only $250,000 for the fiscal year, Carter said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re spending the money smart,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWe\u2019re spending it on our students and their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with the end-of-year transfer, Carter said the district could not continue operating under a deficit, like it has every single year since 2009. Described as a short-term spending strategy, Carter said the savings would eventually disappear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we keep tapping our reserves, we will be broke within four years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Carter said that Colorado lawmakers have slashed education funding across the state by $1.2 billion since 2009. The district\u2019s share of those lost revenues is about $3 million, including the latest legislative cut of $212,000 for this fiscal year, which was announced in December.<\/p>\n
Despite legislative cuts, which totaled more than $3.3 million across the state this year, the largest factor contributing to the district\u2019s projected deficit is increased health costs, which is projected at $400,000 for the fiscal year, district finance director Wendy Everett said.<\/p>\n
The legislative cuts, known as the \u201cnegative factor,\u201d have reduced annual per pupil spending across the district to a low of $6,309. Average per pupil funding in Colorado is $7,534.<\/p>\n
In Dolores, per pupil funding is $6,946. In Mancos, per pupil spending is $7,975.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth Mancos and Dolores voters have approved mill levy overrides,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThat\u2019s why they have more money to spend on students.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Cortez voters approved an override, Carter said he\u2019d want to use the extra funding to extend the school year and increase school security and student access to technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese three things we will need forever,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThese needs aren\u2019t going away.\u201d<\/p>\n
District officials are exploring the idea of proposing a mill levy increase, which would require voter approval. At 18.933, the district\u2019s current mill levy generates $850,000 annually for local school funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to the people to decide whether students are a resource to invest in or if they are a drain on resources,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n
Carter said he thinks that most of the community would support a tax increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people should invest in these kids, because they never leave,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are, literally, this community\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The district is also working to form a financial advisory committee that would explore other potential revenue streams. One idea that\u2019s surfaced is looking into the possibility of receiving funds from casino revenues.<\/p>\n
Everett encouraged community members to be proactive.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur parents, our moms and dads, they need to demand their legislators restore education funding,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, 168 of the state\u2019s 178 superintendents signed a letter to the governor and members of the legislature that stated that Colorado\u2019s public schools face an \u201cextreme state of inadequate funding.\u201d The superintendents said funding cuts have caused increased class size, reduced services, and deferred critical infrastructure investments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we have done everything we can to support students through these budget reductions, we know the lack of funding has had a negative impact on the education of Colorado students,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n
The superintendents demanded that the legislature reinstate a quarter of the $1.2 billion in lost funding, some $275 million, this year.<\/p>\n
If approved, Carter said the measure would add some $600,000 in funding for RE-1 schools and generate a fiscal-year surplus.<\/p>\n
Carter, Mancos Superintendent Brian Hanson and Dolores Superintendent Scott Cooper signed the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs superintendents, we have a moral and ethical duty to advocate for the children we serve and the overall economic well-being of our communities,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are at a crisis,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n
According to the Colorado Department of Education, one in four school districts spends $10,000 or more per pupil. Those same 46 districts have an average graduation rate of 90 percent or higher.<\/p>\n
According to the Colorado School Finance Project, the national average for per pupil spending is nearly $12,000. Mississippi and Alabama, two Deep South states with a long history of underfunding public education, both spend more per pupil than Colorado, according to the report.<\/p>\n