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Alexandria school board wants budget increase
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Congressman Jim Moran, ACPS Superintendent Rebecca Perry, AEP Chair Sean McEnearney, Maury Principal Lucretia Jackson, BearingPoint Consultant Nick Petit, Mayor Bill Euille, BearingPoint Consultant Ben Kasoff at a recent event.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Alexandria's City Council and School Board appear poised for another struggle over the budget, with the schools' request for fiscal year 2009 approaching one-third of the city's total revenues.
Superintendent Rebecca Perry will ask the city council for $168.7 million to $176.2 million at the City Council's retreat Saturday. The range depends on the size of raises given to staff, with no increase included in the $168.7 million budget.
"The superintendent must submit a budget appropriate to educate the kids in the city," said John Porter, assistant superintendent for administrative services and public relations. "Ms. Perry is very intent we ask for what we need."
Last year, Alexandria City Public Schools requested $168 million and received $160.2 million, including funding for a one-half of 1 percent raise for all staff in the city's $519.5 million budget.
Lean revenues led the council to impose a target for the schools last year, which the system didn't meet. The difference led to tense work sessions in which council members questioned various aspects of the school's spending.
Currently, 30.8 percent of the city's 2008 fiscal year revenue goes to the schools, according to schools budget documents.
Most of the schools' money comes from the city, with smaller amounts from the state - about $26 million - and the federal government.
Meanwhile, city budget crunchers are expecting small growth in revenue. Staff anticipates "low, single-digit growth" in real estate and other tax revenues, said Bruce Johnson, the city's director of management and budget.
Alexandria spends more per student, $18,232, than any other school district in the Washington area. It also has some of the smallest class sizes in the area and the largest percentages of special education, non-English-speaking and poor students.
Last year, Perry suggested increasing the average class size by two students - up from an average elementary class size of 18.8, 16 students in middle school classes and an average 17.5 students in high school classes, according to the Washington Area Board of Education - to save $1.45 million.
Parent protests led the School Board to scuttle the idea. Instead, the board cut spending on new textbooks and trimmed six jobs, including a teacher, two teaching assistants, an assistant principal, and two secretaries.
