Oak Ridge Schools has posted its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 on its website.
The May 13 budget proposal had a starting deficit of $807,890. That deficit was due to revenues not keeping up with expenditures, officials said.
There was an additional investment of $1.9 million requested. The biggest part of that, about $1 million, was for a proposed 3 percent cost of living adjustment with benefits. An extra $484,000 was requested for experience step increases with benefits.
There were also additional staff requests that were part of the $1.9 million “additional investment.” The staff requests would total about $363,000, including for a communications director and four technology-related positions.
Combining the starting deficit with the additional investment gives a total “minimum additional investment” of $2.7 million, school officials said.
It’s not clear how the proposed budget might have been modified, if at all, during school board budget work sessions last week. The Oak Ridge Board of Education will discuss the budget in the first of two readings this week during its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, May 26).
And it’s not clear how much of an increase the Oak Ridge City Council will approve. The school system has typically received a little less than 30 percent of its funding from the city, and the requested increases in funding generally have to be considered by the City Council.
If necessary, there will be a school board budget work session at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27. And the school board will consider the budget on second and final reading at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28.
The budget will then have to be considered by the City Council.
See the budget that had been proposed as of May 13 here: Oak Ridge Schools FY16 Proposed Budget Presentation.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
