Every year, school districts across the country face the challenge of creatinga new budget for the upcoming school year. While this has been an extremely arduous task in the previous two years for Bartlesville Public Schools due to reductions in state funding, this year may be even more difficult as there are many variables of which we have no control and some of which will not be clarified for possibly several more months.

Developing a budget truly is a process—one that began several months ago for Bartlesville Public Schools. Each principal and department budget manager evaluated their current budgets and presented budget requests to the Superintendent's Budget Development Committee. This committee consists of administrators, board members, teachers and classified staff members. Based upon these budget presentations, the committee uses a zero-based budgeting process to build the budget.

Each expenditure is justified based on district goals, federal and state mandates and community expectations. This process has been used for the past several years; it enables board members to be good stewards of the public funding.

A major factor in next year's budget is the teacher pay raise. While the state legislature has approved a teacher pay raise for all Oklahoma teachers, the funding for each school district has not been clearly outlined. At this time, the district can only estimate how much money it will receive and how that money will be allocated per district.

Board members and administrators from Bartlesville Public Schools work regularly with our local legislators. We are fortunate these public servants not only meet with us on a monthly basis, they often e-mail school administrators from the floor of the House of Representatives when school issues are being discussed! We appreciate their support and the laws they have been able to enact to improve education for our students. As soon as the legislature has determined the funding for public education and outlined the procedure for the pay raises, we will better be able to determine our resources for next year's budget.

The approved teacher pay raise allotment is only one factor in next year's budget. Due to a decrease in enrollment from the previous year, the district will receive $155,748 less in the 2005-2006 school year in state funding. In addition, there are some necessary additions to the budget. The increased cost of utilities, higher property insurance and an increase in the district's assessor's fee all add expenses to the budget. In order to maintain class sizes, seven elementary teaching positions and two middle school reading positions, some of which were filled mid-year, will continue to be funded through the next year's budget if the committee's recommendations are approved.

In addition to these proposals, the Budget Committee has recommended some ways to reduce expenses for next year and further stretch our budget. Technology requests would be funded through the building fund, and salaries of elementary cafeteria aides would be funded through the Child Nutrition budget.

The Budget Committee recommended increases from half-day to full-day Pre-Kindergarten at three sites. The Board of Education accepted this recommendation and approved the expansion of the Pre-Kindergarten program during their March board meeting. This proposal is considered to be “revenue-neutral” since the district receives additional funding from the state based on the number of students enrolled full day. This proposal would add 2-3 Pre-Kindergarten teachers and 2-3 Pre-Kindergarten teaching assistants.

At this time, the School Board is evaluating the recommendations of the Budget Committee and speaking with our state legislators to best prepare a budget for next year. The Board members desire to be good stewards of the district's resources while maintaining the most critical operations of the district and providing the best education possible for Bartlesville students. Through their diligence, the commitment of our teachers and staff, Bartlesville Public Schools continue ‘Striving for Excellence!'