Press Release

JUNE 15 PUBLIC HEARING FOR NEW BUDGET; SCHOOLS UNTOUCHED

The Board of Education has scheduled a June 15 public hearing for community feedback on a proposed $447.8 million general fund budget for the 2000-2001 school year.

The public hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the First Floor Board Room at 900 Grant Street. Individuals wishing to speak should call 720-423-3211 by 5:00 p.m. on June 15.

The latest version of the budget, examined by the Board of Education during a daylong work session May 30, includes recommendations from district staff.

Those recommendations identify several new sources of one-time revenue and request increased spending for the Department of English Language Acquisition ($806,000) and for counseling programs in high schools ($897,247), among many other changes.

School spending, particularly the teacher-to-student ratio which determines the level of staffing for each school, remains untouched.

Still to be decided, however, is the cost-of-living raise to be offered to the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and other employee groups. Negotiations with the DCTA are under way.

"The district recognizes that the budget will not be complete until the amount of this important expense is determined," said Acting Superintendent Bernadette Seick. "Until we know the size of that expense, we won't know how all the pieces of the spending plan fit together."

The proposed budget, however, does include $5 million for salary increases based on longevity or completion of educational credits. These were previously committed in contracts with employee groups.

The $447.8 million budget includes revenue from the 1998 mill levy election.

New revenues included in the proposed 2000-2001 budget include money from the "demutualization" of MetLife. The district's many health insurance policies through MetLife generated $1.6 million for DPS when the company recently converted to a publicly held entity.

In addition, $750,000 is available through under-expenditure of existing general fund budgets and $189,654 through under-expenditure of mill-levy fund budgets. Finally, the state is providing an additional $200,000 for the district's services to students in residential day treatment.

The proposed budget would add $806,344 for increased staffing and other support costs to the Department of English Language Acquisition. District staff and the department itself have identified the need for more staff as essential to continue to make progress in implementing the new English Language Acquisition program.

An additional $897,247 would be added to hire "technical" staff in high schools to relieve high school counselors from managing the clerical duties of class scheduling. A recent proposal, created by a committee of principals, assistant principals, counselors, teachers, parents, and central staff, sets clear standards for counseling services to students.

Other proposed new expenditures:

• $200,000 for "Arts Are Basic" pilot at the elementary level. This would provide for increased visual arts and dance instruction at the elementary level, consistent with district standards.
• $70,000 for Marrama Elementary School to handle some overflow from Montbello-area elementary schools. Due to surging growth in northeast Denver, projected enrollment in those schools may exceed capacity during the 2000-2001 school year.
• $40,000 additional support for expansion of The Alma Project, a four-year-old effort to provide relevant curriculum to classrooms.

A complete list of budget changes is available through the district's web site (www.denver.k12.co.us) or by calling the Public Information Office 720-423-3414). Also available is a spreadsheet showing proposed department spending (prior to the most recent proposed budget changes) for the 2000-2001 school year.

GENERAL FUND 2000-2001 PROPOSED DEPARTMENT SPENDING
GENERAL FUND 2000-2001 ADOPTED BUDGET CHANGES