INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Based on current projections and the latest movements within the Florida legislature, the Indian River County School Board is cautiously optimistic about next year’s budget for the district. As it stands, the district expects to break even on the budget, given increased funding from the state.
“We’re not looking at cutting 8 percent this year,” Schools Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams said, “which feels a whole lot better than what we’ve had to deal with the last few years. I think our best hope is a break even.”
She added that the break-even comes with a caveat that the district and board find a way to replace the funds it will lose next fiscal year when the voter-approved .25 mill allocation expires.
To that end, the School Board reached consensus Tuesday morning that it should explore its options, which includes a special referendum putting the question again to voters.
The difference this time would be that the School Board could request more or less than the current .25 mill rate and could apply it for up to four years.
If voters were to approve another millage increase at the School Board’s request, the board said the funds could be used to fund 31 positions currently funded under the .25 mill allocation. The rest of the funds could also be used to maintain and enhance technology throughout the district, including in the classrooms.
School Board Chair Jeff Pegler and member Karen Disney-Brombach agreed that if the board were to pursue the referendum, it should be handled during the general election this November.
“We had so much in limbo,” Disney-Brombach said of last year’s timing of the .25 mill referendum, which came after the budget was finalized, leaving much up in the air.
Pegler noted that there is no guarantee that the State Legislature would not change its mind during next year’s session and eliminate the special referendum altogether.
Despite the possibility of having a balanced budget without the necessity of major cuts, the budget for the upcoming year does not have much for improving and expanding upon what the district is currently doing, according to the School Board.
There are a few House and Senate bills working their way through Tallahassee that could impact the end amount the district would have for its budget. One such bill could require the School District to allocate 1.5 mills of its funding – approximately $2.1 million – to the county’s charter schools.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Carter Morrison, that money would come out of the fund the district uses to maintain schools, purchase buses, maintain and purchase technology, among other uses.
The 2011-12 budget had $4.76 million dedicated to such uses. According to Morrison, next year’s budget would have $1.6 million if the district had to allocate funds to the charter schools.
Bruce Green, executive director of Instructional and Information Technology, told the School Board that the district has approximately 9,000 computers, which are on a 6-year “refresh” rotation. He explained that about 1,500 computers each year are either replaced or refurbished at a cost of about $500 apiece, or a minimum of $750,000.
On top of that, the district also has to maintain 120 servers on an 8-year cycle at a cost of about $75,000 annually. Combined, it doesn’t leave much from the $1.6 million to maintain facilities if the charter school allocation were approved.
Disney-Brombach noted that the district’s .35 mill bond for Sebastian River High School expires at the end of this fiscal year, which generated $4.5 million for the project.
“That’s a great place to put technology,” she said.
The board will meet on March 27 to discuss all the options pertaining to the potential referendum before making a decision on whether to proceed with taking it to the voters in November.
“I think this is going to be key to the viability of the district,” Pegler said.
