Pomarico School district preparing early for anticipated cuts from state;
increasing presence in Topeka to make sure
legislators understand USD 260’s needs

District leaders and board members on Nov. 19 met with state legislators Rep. Don Myers, R-Derby, Sen. Nancey Harrington, R-Goddard, and Rep. Ted Powers, R-Mulvane. Representatives from school districts in Rose Hill, Haysville, Valley Center, Mulvane, Maize and Clearwater also attended the meeting.

By Jennifer Newton Reents

USD 260 is attempting to get on top of the budget crisis it faces as it anticipates additional funding cuts from the state this year.

Last week, district administrators gathered twice – once with school principals and department heads and once with a group of state legislators from the area – to discuss the district’s anticipated financial situation for the rest of this year and what it could be facing for fiscal year 2004.

Regarding potential cuts to this year’s budget, USD 260 is preparing to lose an additional $795,000 in funding from the state because of another round of anticipated cuts to schools across Kansas.

Derby Superintendent Michael Pomarico told the Board of Education last month the state is expected to additionally cut funds they send to schools by as much as $60 per full-time student. For Derby, that means about a 2 percent overall budget cut, and it could become a reality as early as January. The district this year received $3,863 per full-time student.

This would be the second round of mid-year cuts to the district’s budget. In August, Gov. Bill Graves cut funding to Kansas schools and this resulted in about a $300,000 loss for Derby, according to the district.

For fiscal year 2004, Derby needs an additional $575,000 to pay for increases in costs associated with property and workers’ compensation insurance, utilities, a 1.15 percent salary increase for teachers and staff and early retirement.

To deal with the possibility of more cuts, the district is using a process called curriculum-based budgeting which essentially prioritizes programs to ensure that those with the most need are funded first. Planning groups made up of district staff and patrons will review their assigned program’s budget.

District leaders and board members on Nov. 19 met with state legislators Rep. Don Myers, R-Derby, Sen. Nancey Harrington, R-Goddard, and Rep. Ted Powers, R-Mulvane. Representatives from school districts in Rose Hill, Haysville, Valley Center, Mulvane, Maize and Clearwater also attended the meeting.

For the full story, please see the November 27, 2002 issue of
The Derby Weekly Informer!